THE National Capital Region (NCR) frolicked right on its own yard and snatched the overall championship for the third straight year of the 2014 Milo Little Olympics National Finals that concluded on Sunday in various venues in and around Marikina City.
The Big City athletes were strategically dominating in the 27th running of the Milo Little Olympics.
Although they gave up the top of the podium in the elementary division to former national champions Visayas, they weren’t that too far behind but were miles ahead in the secondary level to bring home the Milo Little Olympics Perpetual Trophy, symbolic of the national finals overall winner for three consecutive years.
The Big City bets totaled 349 points culled out of title finishes in the medal-rich athletics, gymnastics and swimming, as well as in girls’ taekwondo and in the team events in girls’ volleyball and football, and boys’ chess, sepak takraw and tennis to dominate the secondary division.
Visayas was a far second with 248 points, while Luzon salvaged third with 219.5 points and Mindanao the bottom with 203.5 points.
NCR was cunning in the elementary level. The Metro Manilans were second with 298.5 points and allowed Visayas to win division honors by a manageable difference with its 315 points total. Mindanao was third this time with 232.5 points and Luzon took up the rear with 174 points.
Combining NCR’s efforts in both divisions of the games, which as a tradition is being staged annually to encourage student-athletes and coaches to aim for excellence not only on the sporting arena but mostly outside of it, the Big City bets were virtually unreachable for the overall championship.
NCR amassed 647.5 points to Visayas’s 563 points. Mindanao (436) and Luzon (393.5) were third and fourth, respectively, after the smoke of competition and camaraderie cleared in the games where the kids displayed their talent and winning ability on Sunday.
NCR grabbed titles in elementary scrabble and secondary football and girls’ volleyball to highlight their final-day gold rush at the Marist School.
Image credits: Alysa Salen and Roy Domingo