PUERTO PRINCESA CITY: Quendy Fernandez bagged three more swimming gold medals Tuesday to the delight of her province mates in the 11th BIMP-EAGA (Brunei Darussalam-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines-East ASEAN Growth Area) Friendship Games here.

According to Philippines News Agency, Fernandez, 19, ruled the girls’ 100m backstroke in 1 minute and 7.21 seconds, beating fellow Team Philippines swimmers Lora Micah Amoguis (1:10.53) and Jann Maureen Doton (1:18.42) at Ramon V. Mitra Sports Complex. The perennial Philippine National Games medalist and one of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines’ Athletes of the Year last year also topped the 4×50 girls’ 200m medley and freestyle relays.

Fernandez already won the girls’ 50m backstroke and settled for silver in the 400m freestyle on Monday. The sophomore student of the University of the Philippines-Diliman in Quezon City expressed that it always gives her extra satisfaction when competing in her hometown. “Dito po ako natuto lumangoy from Kinder pa la
ng. Dito nako nag-swim, lalo na nandito pa ako sa (I learned to swim here since I was in Kinder, and now I’m in an) international competition,” she said. Seeing familiar faces gave her “much joy and energy.”

In addition to Fernandez’s accomplishments, Philip Sahagun also secured his third gold for the Philippines in the boys’ 100m backstroke with a time of 1:00.82. He will vie for two more in the 200m back and 4×100 medley events.