DAVAO City's accomplished tanker Ivo Nikolai Enot has lived up to expectations by collecting three gold medals and one silver as of 1:40 p.m. on Day 2 of the Enot, a 17-year-old multiple Uaap swimming gold medalist from the Ateneo de Manila University, secured the boys 16-17 100-meter backstroke
gold on Tuesday morning and the boys 13-17 4X50 medley relay gold in the afternoon. This after he pocketed the 50m backstroke gold in the swimfest opener on Monday, December 18, 2023.
"It feels really great to win Davao’s first gold and my first individual gold in the Batang Pinoy swimming championships, after placing silver in my first event," the Palarong Pambansa champion said.
He timed 59.22 seconds in the 100m backstroke, surpassing Peter Cyrus Dean of Lucena City (1:02.11) and Kristof Daniel David of Cainta, Rizal (1:03.69) who wound up with the silver and bronze, respectively.
In the 50m backstroke, Enot checked in at 27.56, leaving behind competitors Dean (28.37) and Luke Amber Matthew Araño (38.74) of Antipolo City. He exuded confidence throughout the race, maintaining his lead with flawless underwater execution right from the start.
Enot will have one remaining backstroke event, the 200m.
He added, "I’m quite confident that I’m going to win the gold in that event."
Enot teamed up with fellow Palarong Pambansa champion Paolo Miguel Labanon, Jabahri Dilangalen, and Pietro Dominic Requiza to dominate the 4X50 medley relay event.
With three golds already under his belt, he said, "Hopefully, (I can win) more!"
Meanwhile, Lora Micah Amoguis (girls 16-17 200m individual medley) and Paulette Xavier Apilado (girls eight to 12 200m IM) accounted for one silver each on the first day of the swimming competition.
Amoguis added a bronze in the girls 16-17 100m backstroke event on Tuesday morning.
She said her Batang Pinoy performance so far was `unexpected in a good way.' She acknowledged the challenges of balancing her studies after a successful Uaap campaign while continuing to train for the Batang Pinoy.
"Every swim I’ll be doing will sure make it count as I had the chance to represent Davao once more," Amoguis said.
She and Enot also noted that it was their first time competing with such a huge number of participants. "It was really shocking, the venue looked like a resort," she added.
Over at the PhilSports Complex in Pasig City, Davao City's boys 18-above 200m medley relay team of Philip Adrian Sahagun, Francis Greg Espiritu,
John Michael Catamco and Shem Gabrielle Bello salvaged the bronze.
Pasig City claimed the gold medal, and Mandaluyong City-ZZ copped the silver.
Espiritu captured the boys 18-above 200-meter breaststroke gold on Monday, December 18. MLSA