Puerto Princesa City—Outstanding swimmers Michaela Jasmine Mojdeh and Aubrey Tom will share the spotlight when the 2019 Philippine National Youth Games-Batang Pinoy reels off today.
With 14 gold medals at stake in swimming, Mojdeh and Tom will seek the top honors in 10 events that will be held on opening day at the Speaker Ramon V. Mitra Sports Complex.
During the Luzon qualifiers, the 12-year-old Mojdeh, swept all her five events, and held her ground again older rivals in the 13-15 years old level at the Isabela Sports Complex back in March.
Mojdeh, a seventh-grader from Immaculate Heart of Mary College capped her amazing effort by topping the 200-meter butterfly, and she added this to earlier triumphs in the 100m and 50m fly and 200m and 400m individual medley.
Despite cloudy and rainy weather prevailing in the region, Mojdeh’s effort will serve as her bid to make the final cut the national swimming team, which hold its final tryouts at the Philippine National Open swimming meet this Saturday at the New Clark City in Tarlac.
And Mojdeh’s bid is expected to benefit Paranaque’s efforts in the 3-day aquatics competition.
On the other hand, the 12-year old Tom is set to carry Cainta, Rizal’s campaign, and after she rule the girls 50-meter backstroke, 50m butterfly, the 200m IM, 100m freestyle and the 50m backstroke the last time around.
Around 10,000 athletes from 243 local government units are battling it out for top honors and sporting excellence.
Davao City has brought in the biggest delegation of 320 athletes and seek out the honors of being best performing LGU that will receive a sports program package worth P5 million.
For the runners-up, the second to fifth placing LGUs will get incentives worth P4M, P3M, P2M and P1M, respectively.
There are a total of 820 gold, 820 silver and 1,395 bronze medals that are at stake in 31 various disciplines in this weeklong meet.
Spots will be available to the national team which will see action in next year’s Children of Asia Games in Russia and in this event backed by MILO.
Action on Day One will be in arnis, badminton, baseball, basketball, billiards, boxing, chess, dancesports, futsal, judo, karatedo, lawn tennis, muaythai, pencak silat, rugby football, sepak takraw, table tennis, indoor and beach volleyball, weightlifting, wrestling and wushu.
