THERE was no feast nor holiday during the weekend but it seemed like it for the Holiday Gym Swim Club (HGSC) swimmers who amassed a total of 777 points to emerge overall champion in the recently-concluded 2019 PSI Grand Prix Short Course Mindanao Leg 1 held at the Fr. Malasmas swimming pool of Ateneo de Davao University in Matina, Davao City.
HGSC, coached by multi-titled Haroon Cali, collected a total of 50 gold medals, 46 silvers and 18 bronzes.
Host Ateneo Blue Knight Swimming Club garnered 611 points for the second place while Coastland Davao Swim Team (CDST) totalled 248 points to finish third.
Palarong Pambansa 2019 champion Liaa Margarette Amoguis, 12, led HGSC’s campaign with a total of 81 points to be hailed most bemedaled swimmer in girls 11-13 years old while her 13-year-old sister Lora Micah came in close second with 79 points and teammate Rissa Angelian Sahagun (58) in third.
Marga of Abbas Orchard assessed that her performance was okay having beaten her personal best records in few events. “I had 14 events and it was not easy so I respect that my body is tired and I’m so grateful my coach understand me that I’m tired and he still cheered me on. For me being MVP in 11-13 girls is unexpected because my sister had more gold than me but then it was more in the points. I think that I and my sister won together. My medals were good and I’m happy I got the qualifying time,” the younger Amoguis said.
Lora, for her part, said her performances in the short course grand prix were much better than her Southeast Asia Age-Group performance. “The medals that I got were actually unexpected because I had 13 events and most of them were continuous. After a swim I would go directly to the ready bench for my next swim. But I actually had fun because I got to reunite with my friends,” she added.
HGSC tankers Ivo Nikolai Enot (boys 11-13, 77 points), Joanna Kayla Gonzales (girls 14-15, 47 points), Matthieu Adrien Tao (boys 14-15, 63 points), Erika Lois Suelan (girls 16-18, 82 points) and Philip Adrian Sahagun (boys 16-18, 61 points) also bagged MVP honors in their respective divisions along with CDST’s Zoe Alexandra Raut (girls eight-under) and Jodie Adrianne Tangtatco (girls nine-10), ABKS’s Sophia Gabrielle Muñoz (girls 19-over) and Samuel John Alcos (boys 19-over), and The Gliders Swim Team’s Ethan Oliver Bazlewich (boys nine-10).
Tao said his performance was good “but it was not my best”. He won six golds, three silvers and one bronze. “I got these medals thanks to my coach, family and God,” he said.