DAVAO City's cyclist Shyrah Mae Rizalado secured her second gold medal, while swimmer Juan Alessandro Suarez set a new meet record with his golden finish at the Batang Pinoy 2024 National Championships in Puerto Princesa City, Palawan, on Tuesday, November 26, 2024.
Rizalado, a 15-year-old Grade 10 student at Jose Maria College (JMC), expressed her joy, saying, "Masayang-masayo po kasi last Batang Pinoy nag bronze at silver lang ako (I'm really happy because at the last Batang Pinoy, I only won bronze and silver)."
The Dabawenya rider, who admitted to feeling restless the past two nights, triumphed in the girls' 14-15 MTB Cross-country eliminator (XCE) after winning the cross-country Olympic (XCO) event the previous day.
"Hindi ko talaga expected na mag gold this time kasi maraming pa ring malalakas. Kabado ako, di ko alam anong iniisip ko. Kinakabahan ako.
Last night hindi ako nakatulog. Every night matutulog na ako pero sa utak ko naiisip ko `what if di ako manalo.' Marami akong naiisip (I didn't expect to win gold this time because there are still many strong competitors. I was nervous, I didn't know what I was thinking. I was anxious. Last night, I couldn't sleep. Every night, I would try to sleep, but in my mind, I kept thinking, 'What if I don't win?' I had so many thoughts)," Rizalado shared in a phone interview with VoxPop Davao.
She also mentioned that another sleepless night awaited her as she set her sights on a third gold medal on Wednesday, November 27. "Nandito na ako. Yun na ang goal ko, tatapusin ko nalang (I'm here now. That’s my goal, I’ll just finish it)," said Rizalado, who took up cycling after her elder sister, who first introduced her to the sport, left for Australia.
Initially a fun hobby, cycling became a serious pursuit for Rizalado in 2022, though she had to take a break due to illness. She returned to racing in 2023 after encouragement from her coaches.
Rizalado, coached by Ledina Casaljay, dedicated her double golds to her mother, who has always been her source of inspiration and encouragement.
Her teammate, Paul Laurence Ondras, earned a silver in boys' 14-15 XCO.
New record holder
At the RVM Sports Complex pool, Suarez clocked 2 minutes and 25.72 seconds in the boys' 16-17 200-meter breaststroke, breaking the previous record of Rafael Cyron (2:30.99) from Quezon Province.
Joaquin Federico Mirasol of Caloocan City (2:29.11) and Jaime Uandorr Maniago of Quezon City (2:32.10) earned silver and bronze, respectively.
"I feel grateful po na to win the gold and surprised to set a new BP record in the 200 breast. Hindi ko po na expect na ito mangyayari sa akin after all my hard work na ginagawa ko sa training (I feel grateful to win the gold and surprised to set a new BP record in the 200 breast. I didn't expect this to happen to me after all the hard work I've put into training)," Suarez, a 17-year-old Grade 12 student at Ateneo de Davao University, told VoxPop Davao in a Messenger interview.
He acknowledged the pressure of winning the gold, saying, "Everyone was betting on me to get the gold. The results showed that the second placer was over three seconds behind me."
Suarez's victory marks his first individual swimming gold at the Batang Pinoy. He previously won a silver in the 200m butterfly and a bronze in the 4x50 relay in 2019 in Puerto Princesa City, a 200m breaststroke bronze in Vigan in 2022, and a gold in the 4x100 medley relay in Manila.
Having started swimming at age six, Suarez thanked his fellow swimmers, coaches, classmates, teachers, friends, and family, "because they are the ones who pushed me to attain this reward."
Suarez trains six days a week, two to three hours per session, under coach Haroon Cali of HC Mantas Swimming Club at the old Holiday and Spa along F. Torres St.
"A lot of sacrifices were made in this journey — school, meeting with friends, sleep, and missed family gatherings. However, it was all worth it since my goal was to win a medal in my last BP appearance. Surprisingly, I got the gold and set a new BP record in the 200m breaststroke. This is all for the glory of God," he added.
Top 5
As of 1 p.m. on November 26, Davao City was in fifth place with 13 golds, 10 silvers, and 7 bronzes.
Pasig City led with 36 golds, 19 silvers, and 30 bronzes, followed by Quezon City (19-17-25) in second, Baguio City (18-22-21) in third, and Santa Rosa (14-11-4) in fourth.
Rounding out the top 10 were Muntinlupa City (12-5-6), Makati City (9-4-4), Zamboanga City (7-5-4), Lapu-Lapu City (7-4-1), and Aklan (7-4-0). MLSA
