CEBU CITY. – What a huge difference a coach makes.
Swimmer Albert Jose Amaro II and gymnast Elaiza Andriel Yulo credited their new coaches — Dondon Roxas Jr. and Reyland Capellan — for their outstanding feats in the Palarong Pambansa that ended here Tuesday.
After being limited to a single gold in the 2023 Palaro in Marikina, Amaro, 17, under Roxas’s tutelage, made the biggest waves by sweeping all of his seven events in the high school boys division at the Cebu City Sports Center pool.
He won five individual events: the 50 and 100-meter butterfly, both in record-breaking fashion, and the 50, 100 and 200-meter freestyle events.
Carrying the banner of Region 4-A, the Grade 11 San Beda-Rizal student also had a pivotal role as his squad ruled the boys 4×100-meter medley and 4×100-meter freestyle relays.
Amaro said he owed it all to Roxas, who has been the head coach of the successful San Beda swimming program for the past 22 years, producing past Palaro champs, including 2013 Dumaguete edition swimming queen Catherine Bondad.
“Coach Dondon has really made a difference in my swimming progress. With his mentoring, we were able to achieve our goal of capturing seven golds, including setting two new records,” said the 5-foot-10 swimmer.
Roxas shrugged off his prized ward’s claim, saying: “All we really do is to engage and guide them through our program. If they follow our instructions and do well, it is all up to them. I am glad that TJ (Amaro’s nickname) is one of them.”
Armed with two years of Palaro experience, Amaro will certainly be the swimmer to watch when Ilocos Norte hosts the next edition of the premier sportsfest for school athletes next year.
Elaiza, the youngest sibling of Carlos Edriel and Karl Eldrew, former Palaro standouts themselves, fell just one win short of sweeping all five mints in the high school girls’ women’s artistic gymnastics competitions.
Showcasing her gymnastics pedigree, Yulo captured the individual all-around, team all-around, floor exercise, uneven bars and floor exercise mints and narrowly lost the vault event to Central Luzon’s Tallua Adrien Andres.
