NO LONGER SECOND-BEST

MORE than just a dream come true for the Dagupan City government and the Balon Dagupan athletes and players, Pangasinenses dominated this year’s Region 1 Athletic Association (R1AA).

After a back-to-back runner up finish since 2016, Balon Dagupan finally clinched the crown as this year’s R1AA champion after five grueling days of competition in Alaminos City on February 10-15.

Finishing the game with 71 gold, 51 silver, and 34 bronze medals, Balon Dagupan’s best performance so far romped away with the R1AA crown since the annual meet started.

Pangasinan 1 finished first runner-up while Pangasinan 2, the dethroned champion, winding up as second runner-up.

Dagupan City’s swimming team remained the city’s strongest medal haulers, accounting for 32 gold, 13 silver, and 12 bronze medals and has remained the team to beat in swimming events of R1AA since 2016.

Dagupan City Sports Commissioner Finnela T. Sim acknowledged that the city’s arnis, gymnastics, taekwondo, badminton and athletics teams performed creditably as well and won more gold medals this year than in the last three years.

The arnis team won 10 gold, 10 silver, and 3 bronze medals; gymnastics, 7 gold, 11 silver, and 10 bronze medals, while the taekwondo team won 6 gold, 3 silver, and 4 bronze medals.

The basketball team also won in the secondary division.

The official results in other completed events are not available at presstime.

“We can say that our athletes in every event in this year’s R1AA contributed much in our quest for the championship,” Sim said.

The city also won 1 gold, 2 silver and 1bronze medals in its first participation in pencak silat.

Mayor Belen T. Fernandez, Sim and Division Schools Superintendent Lourdes Bugayong received the trophies for the Best Performing Delegation and the Best Performing Secondary Delegation.

They were joined by DCSC commissioners Nestor Duque and Renato Vida, Department of Education Region 1 Director Dr. Alma Ruby Torio, Alaminos City Mayor Arthur Celeste and Alaminos City Schools Division Superintendent Danilo Sison.

In an interview, Fernandez was exuberant in giving full credit to the Batang Dagupeño as she acknowledged the championship form of the members of the Balon Dagupan Team.

“The city’s athletes will be the city’s role model to inspire more Batang Dagupeños to engage in sports,” Fernandez said.

She credited the hard work put in by the young athletes and players for the last two years to get this far.

“Because of their achievements for the last two years naging triple ang mga batang sumali sa ating summer sports training.,” she said. “With this, tuloy-tuloy ang magiging training ng ating mga atleta. Let’s do everything for our children and let’s do it right,” said Fernandez.

Preparing for next year’s meet, Sim disclosed the city will start training for boxing and wrestling competitions.

Meanwhile, the euphoric Balon Dagupan team will continue to prepare for the Batang Pinoy of the Philippine National Games for 17 years above in March, and the Palarong Pambansa in April. (With report from CIO)

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