Bacolod City maintained a commanding lead in the Negros Island Region Athletic Association Meet (NIRAAM) medal tally as of 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 4, with its athletes continuing to deliver strong performances across multiple events.
Based on the latest tally, Bacolod City has collected 81 gold medals and 43 silver medals, keeping it firmly at first place overall in the regional games.
Negros Occidental follows in second place with 41 gold and 70 silver medals, while Bayawan City ranks third with 15 gold and 12 silver medals.
Negros Oriental placed fourth with 10 gold and 10 silver medals, while Dumaguete City rounds out the top five with seven gold and 12 silver medals.
Kabankalan City, Guihulngan City, Silay City, Bais City, Siquijor, and Tanjay City follow in the overall standings.
The strong showing of Bacolod athletes is also reflected in the list of the most bemedalled competitors so far, with four Bacolodnons leading the rankings.
Francesca Gaea Suguilon of St. Scholastica’s Academy of Bacolod topped the list after winning six gold medals in Women’s Artistic Gymnastics (secondary girls).
Another Bacoleña gymnast, Keirayzabelle Palma of Bata Elementary School, also secured six gold medals in Women’s Artistic Gymnastics (elementary girls).
Matthea Given Efenio of Bacolod Tay Tung High School also likewise earned six gold medals in Rhythmic Gymnastics (secondary girls).
Anastasia Avery Lim, a Grade 5 student of St. John’s Institute won five golds and a silver medal in Rhythmic Gymnastics in the elementary category.
The dominance of Bacolod gymnasts highlights the city’s strong gymnastics program, which has been a consistent medal contributor in regional school competitions.
Meanwhile, the NIRAA Para Games medal tally also shows Negros Occidental leading with 24 gold and 15 silver medals, followed by Bacolod City with 12 gold and 10 silver medals, and Silay City with seven gold and five silver medals.
The NIRAA meet gathers student-athletes from divisions across Negros Island Region.
Competitions are expected to intensify in the remaining days as the regional games run until March 7, with more events still scheduled that could reshape the final medal standings.
Mayor Greg Gasataya on Wednesday congratulated the Bacolod athletes for their outstanding performance.
“We continue to cheer and support our athletes as the games continue,” he said.
He said they are very hopeful and praying Bacolod will be the champion but one cannot say what the outcome will be until the games over.
The mayor also said the regional sports event has had a big effect on local tourism and the Bacolod economy.*
