CEBU CITY -- The Cebu City Niños truly enjoyed their home court advantage as they maintained their front-running pace in the penultimate stage of the Philippine National Games (PNG) at the Cebu City Sports Center here.
Host Cebu City mined more gold medals on Thursday to continue its supremacy over the competition with 33 golds, 46 silvers, and 48 bronzes going into the last day of PNG action.
The cities of Baguio, Mandaluyong, and General Santos (GenSan) likewise kept their respective positions in the medal standings at second, third, and fourth places.
In the official medal tally as of 5 p.m. on Thursday, Baguio City amassed 24 golds, 27 silvers, and 29 bronzes in five days of action, while Mandaluyong recorded a 20-11-12 gold-silver-bronze performance and GenSan posted 16-22-25.
Zamboanga City reaped a total of 13 gold, five silver, and 11 bronze medals to snatch the fifth spot from Mandaue City, which fell to sixth with a 12-6-7 tally.
Meanwhile, a national karatedo team member from Davao City lost his chance to defend his karatedo title in the PNG when he suffered a knee injury during his quarterfinal match.
Rexor Tacay, a gold medalist in last year’s games, won over his opponent from Dagupan City in the quarterfinals, but failed to see action in the semifinals due to severe pain, which tournament physicians believed to be an anterior cruciate ligament injury.
Tacay, who is set to represent the country in the Asian Games in June, was advised to undergo an MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) for his knee and was assured of his slot in the 2018 Asiad after rehabilitation. (PNA)
