Baguio on target for BP four-peat

MANILA, Philippines — Budding kickboxers unleashed the finishing jolts as Baguio City looked a cinch for a fourth straight overall championship in the Batang Pinoy national finals at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex in Manila, pending the official and final medal tally.

After archery, judo and taekwondo pulled the City of Pines away from closest pursuers led by Pasig and Cebu, the Baguio City kickboxing team delivered the haymakers in the final stretch of the six-day competition with nine out of 21 gold medals in the kicklight and point fighting events.

Lorenzo Iserio Jr., (juniors male, 47.1-52kg), Jeyhan Bestre (older cadets male, 37.1-42kg), Gerwin Lete (older cadets male 47.1-52kg), Leejohn Masedman (older cadets male, 52.1-57kg), Janna Mae Tinay (juniors female, 42.1-46kg) and Shekinah Jonan Lab-oyan (juniors female 50.1-55kg) dominated the kicklight events against separate rivals, with the majority also from the Province of Benguet.

Klerhol Cabinto (young cadets female 32.1-37kg), Stephanie Lipiano (young cadets female, 37.1-42kg) and Click Fattit (older cadets male 28.1-32) then flashed their brilliance in the point fighting events.

Baguio’s nine-gold haul in kickboxing wasn’t included yet in the partial and unofficial tally as of Friday night with other results still waiting to be finalized at the close of the country’s biggest grassroots competition by the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC).

As of presstime, Baguio already collected 32 gold, 25 silver medals and 40 bronze medals for a possible four-peat after winning the 2018, 2019 and 2022 editions. The event wasn’t held in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Aside from kickboxing, judo, taekwondo poomsae and archery, Baguio got the bulk of its gold rush in muay thai, karatedo, kyorugi and wrestling to reassert its class as the home of the best combat sports and martial arts program in the country.