Amoguis sisters make name for themselves in 2019 Batang Pinoy in Mindanao

While 13-year-old Liaa got the gold medals for both the 12-under 100-meter butterfly and 200-meter individual medley, her 11-year old sister Lora snagged the girls’ 13 to 15 200-meter individual medley. (File Photo: PSC (Philippine Sports Commission)/Facebook)

Liaa Margarette and Lora Micah Amoguis conquered the 2019 Batang Pinoy Mindanao swimming competitions hand-in-hand last Wednesday, February 6 at the Davao del Norte Sports and Tourism Complex in Tagum City.

While 13-year-old Liaa got the gold medals for both the 12-under 100-meter butterfly and 200-meter individual medley, her 11-year old sister Lora snagged the girls’ 13 to 15 200-meter individual medley; both receiving slots in the nationals that begin in October.

Last week, Liaa also received six gold medals in the Davao Region Athletic Association, sharing, “My dream is to beat the Palarong Pambansa record,” adding to SunStar Davao about her most recent competition, “I tried to think of the techniques my coach told me. The swimmer on lane five was first in fly I was scared I might end up with a silver. But a silver is a step to disappointment. I wanted to win gold.” In conclusion, the fifth-grader states, “My sister is already in high school and she won all the golds before. This is my time now to win a lot of golds because next year I’ll be in high school already.”

On the other hand, older sister Lora told the media, “We motivate each other. When she feels down, I motivate her. When I feel down, she motivates me as well. That’s how close we are. I’m excited to play in the national finals and race against other swimmers. Even though there are swimmers from other regions, my goal is not to win medals. I just want to beat my time. That’s it.” In her words, “I really want to do this for my parents, my coach and for Davao. It was like when I saw her I wanted to be the first coz I haven’t been competing in the Batang Pinoy for a long time.”

The Amoguis sisters were supposed to compete at Batang Pinoy Mindanao last year as well, but revealed they refrained from doing so because of security concerns in Marawi.