Nine-year-old bags 3 golds in Hong Kong swim meet

MANILA, Philippines - Nine-year-old Bhay Newberry won three individual gold medals to lead the charge of Filipino swimmers on the first day of the Hong Kong Age Group swimming championships yesterday in the former Crown Colony.

Newberry won in the 100m individual medley, 50m butterfly, 50m freestyle and was a member of the team that ruled the 4x50 medley relay as he led the 20 Filipino age groupers’ haul of 6-6-5 gold-silver-bronze medals.

Emmanuel Joshua Lorbes,13, clinched the gold in the 200m butterfly in 2:26.

Zoe Marie Hilario from Davao City came in second behind Newberry in all her events and in the 100m individual medley.

Davao’s Dave Jones Andebor, from the Christian Community Transformation dedicated to the education of street children, won a silver on his first try.

Nathan Cheng, Nico Calma, Cedrix Joseph Fox and Elson Jake Rodriguez won the gold in the 4x50 medley relay for boys 13-under.

The other medal winners were Russel Seranillo (silver, 200m breast), Fox (bronze, 200m fly) and Skyler Claveria (bronze, 200m breast).

Meanwhile, Diliman Preparatory School president Nikki Coseteng, who is supporting the PSL swimmers, is inviting all swimmers for the second Nikki Coseteng Swim Cup dubbed Top 16 slated May 19-20 at the Rizal Memorial swimming pool. The event is endorsed by the Department of Education.