Athletes from Davao City have once again brought pride and honor after the city was declared the overall champion in the Davao Regional Athletic Association (DAVRAA) Meet held from March 9-15 in Tagum City, Davao del Norte.
Davao City surpassed the feat of other contingents with Davao del Norte placing second, Tagum City, third, Davao de Oro, fourth, and Digos City, fifth. Davao City hauled a total of 197 gold, 102 silver, and 87 bronze medals in both the elementary and secondary divisions.
In an interview with Madayaw, DepEd District Supervisor Renante Solitario expressed no surprise at Davao City’s victory, emphasizing the team’s consistent dominance.
“Very overwhelming ang feeling. We always know that Davao City is the perennial champion of the DAVRAA murag until now wala pa gyud nailog kini nga trono isip overall champion sa DAVRAA because we have really strong athletes, coaches, and officials that manage the entire conduct of DCAA meet, gikan pani sa Davao City Athletic Association meet ug hangtod na sa DAVRAA meet 2025 (The feeling is overwhelming. We have always known that Davao City is the perennial champion of DAVRAA. It seems that until now, no one has been able to dethrone us because we have strong athletes, dedicated coaches, and officials who efficiently manage the entire competition, from the Davao City Athletic Association (DCAA) Meet to the DAVRAA Meet),” Solitario said.
He also confirmed that the athletes will undergo a 30-day intensive training in preparation for the Palarong Pambansa 2025, which will be held in Laoag City, Ilocos Norte, from May 24 to June 2, 2025.
“Our training will be very intensive because we will also tap trainers na mga high caliber gyud na muandam para sa atong mga athletes for different events aside from our coaches nga naa na kanunay naa pud tay mga trainers and even sourced out outside Davao City to help us in capacitating our learners, athletes and coaches (Our training will be very intensive because we will tap high-caliber trainers to prepare our athletes for the different events. Aside from our dedicated coaches, we will also bring in experts from outside Davao City to help strengthen our athletes and enhance their skills),” he added.
Solitario said that the Davao City Government, through the Local School Board, has already approved the training budget, which is exclusively allocated for Davao City athletes.
Looking ahead, Solitario shared their goal of securing third place in the Palarong Pambansa after finishing fourth in the previous year. He is optimistic that their groundbreaking achievement of 197 gold medals will translate into victories at the national level. CIO
