National Capital Region archers (from left) Theodore Cabral, Carl Buenaventura, Gino Quinio, and Oliver Gabrienta celebrate after winning the team event at the Palarong bansa 2010 in Tarlac City last Saturday. (Photo by BOB DUNGO JR)

TARLAC CITY – The National Capital Region captured the Palarong Pambansa title anew, riding high on the vintage performances of its swimmers who remained unequalled since the event for elementary and secondary athletes started in 1948.

The Big City swimmers virtually drowned the opposition, winning 32 gold, 23 silver and 16 bronze medals while establishing three new meet records as they underscored their traditional dominance of the annual event hosted for the first time by Tarlac.

Gabriel Lorenzo Castelo set the tone for the Big City’s swim domination as he carved out a new record of 59.07 seconds in the 100m butterfly secondary boys before anchoring his team to another new record in the 400m freestyle.

Lorenzo, together with Marciano Yiu, Gian Daniel Berino and Axel Steven Ngui, eclipsed the old record of 2:02.92 in the 200m freestyle relay girls elementary owned by Western Visayas churning out a 2:02.88.

NCR also closed out its campaign with flourishing results in volleyball and baseball.

Powered by Hope Christian School, NCR dethroned Western Visayas, 25-17, 17-25, 25-20, 25-18, in volleyball girls secondary.

NCR won both secondary and elementary baseball titles at the expense of host Central Luzon, 8-2, and Western Visayas, 11-5, respectively.

NCR also won five gold medals in athletics, two by Patrick Unso, the 17-year-old son of former trackster Renato Unso, who won the 400m hurdles (54.1 seconds) and 110m hurdles (14.68 seconds) both in record time.

Unso, who will take up medicine this school year at La Salle, smashed the record in the 110m hurdles during trial.

Calabarzon, meanwhile, established five new records in swimming while Central Visayas one courtesy of Loren Dale Echavez who logged 1:00.28 in 100m freestyle to smash by 27 seconds the 12-year-old record set by Althea Lim.

Meanwhile, Rafael Sta. Maria proved to be one of the most productive swimmers in the meet as ruled the 100m backstroke, 100m freestyle, 200m freestyle and got silvers in the 50m freestyle and 100m and got the bronze in the 50m butterfly boys’ elementary.

Gian Daniel Berino, on the other hand, won the 200m freestyle, 200m backstroke before he spearheaded his team into the gold medal in the 400m medley relay. He also won the silver in the 400m freestyle behind eventual winner Fahad Alkhaldi of Calabarzon.

A total of nine new meet records in athletics and nine in swimming were established in the 17-region, weeklong tournament.

Philippine Sports Commission chairman Harry Anging, who was the guest honor and speaker during the closing ceremonies, awarded P5,000 to record breakers.

Western Visayas accounted for four new records in athletics courtesy of Alysa Mae Andrade and Maika de Oro.

The 12-year-old Andrade, daughter of a farmer from Aklan, set new records in long jump, triple jump and 100m.

Cagayan De Oro, on the other hand, hurdled the iron plate with a new meet record of 36 meters in discuss throw, erasing her old mark 32.72 meters she recorded in Palawan.

NCR and Bicol, meanwhile established two records each in athletics while Central Visayas one.

Bicol pride Jesusa Ampunan set a new meet record in the 100m hurdles (16.40 seconds) in girls elementarty and Mark Harry Diones established a new mark in triple jump (14.47 meters) in boys secondary.