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Quendy Fernandez was a rookie collegiate league Most Outstanding Swimmer two months ago. And before the yearend, she was hailed as a National Champion — not just in one, not even in two, but in five events.
Fernandez, part of a lean four-man swimming team assembled by Puerto Princesa and guided by Palawan Sports Development Chief Sylvanna Gastanes, emerged as the winningest athlete in the pool ruling the women’s 18-up 200-meter backstroke on Wednesday in the Philippine National Games at the Philsports swimming pool in Pasig City.
The 18-year-old University of the Philippines prized-find clocked two minutes and 29.52 seconds to claim her fifth gold medal in the third day of action in this multi-event tournament organized by the Philippine Sports Commission in partnership with the Philippine Olympic Committee and 25 Sports Association.
Fernandez was already the talk of the town after ruling the 50m and 100m back, 50m butterfly, and 200m medley relay with Maglia Jay Dignadice, Pearl June Daganio, and Cindy Fernandez.
Atasha Dela Torre of Ormoc City and Fernandez teammate at the University of the Philippines, denied the Palawena’s sixth gold medal hauled via a hairline win in the 50-meter freestyle in the meet sponsored by Pocari Sweat, Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp, PBA, Milo, and Chooks to Go.
Dela Torre beat Fernandez via photo finish as she officially clocked 28.04 seconds against the latter’s 28.16 seconds and claimed her second gold medal in three days, counting her victory in the 100-m free on Monday.
Halfway through the meet and on a day when female athletes flexed their mental and physical muscles, Women International Master Kylen Mordido also stood out in chess at the GSIS building in Pasay City.
Riding on a six-match winning streak entering the seventh and final round, Mordido, representing Dasmarinas, wound up her campaign with a draw against Mandaluyong’s Francoise Marie Magpily to top the women’s standard event in chess with 6.5 points.
A veteran of the 2022 Chess Olympiad in Chennai, India, she teamed up with Jeryl Mae San Diego in capturing the women’s team standard gold.
At the Philsports track oval, Davao City’s Lyka Labrica Catubig moved closer to completing a golden treble after stamping her class anew in bagging her second straight gold in the women’s U20 5,000-meter run in 19:26.84.
A BS Criminology student at the University of Mindanao, Catubig, who won the women’s 3,000-kilometer walk last that earned her the distinction as the first PNG gold medalist, will gun for a golden treble today in the 5,000-meter walk.
“At least I won’t be waking up early for my third event. But I intend to sleep early as usual,” quipped the Davao City pride, who woke up at 3 a.m. yesterday to reach the competition in time from her Manila quarters, since her third and last event will be held in the afternoon today.
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