The Palarong Pambansa once again shone a spotlight on young athletes who made their mark by defying the limits.
Once again, the Palarong Pambansa has highlighted the excellence of the Philippines’ top elementary and high school student athletes.
Held May 24 to 31 in Ilocos Norte, this year’s Palaro saw over 15,000 delegates proudly represent their regions as they all competed for a coveted medal.
But more than the medals won or records that were shattered, the Palaro once again featured athletes who left lasting legacies, those who have proved that there is no such thing as limitations to one’s sporting dreams.
With the 2025 Palarong Pambansa all said and done, here are some of the most inspiring tales that captured our hearts throughout the one-week meet.
Chrisia Mae Tajarros’ redemption run
Thirteen-year-old Chrisia Mae Tajarros previously emerged as a crowd darling in the 2024 Palarong Pambansa in Cebu, being the barefoot runner who took home silver in the secondary girls’ 3000m event.
A year later, Chrisia Mae’s story would be one of redemption, topping the same event in this year’s Palarong Pambansa to take home a gold medal.
“Worth it ang pag-training ko, ‘yung araw-araw kong sakripisyo para makuha ‘yung gold,” Chrisia Mae was quoted in a Facebook post by the Department of Education (DepEd).
Now that she’s secured the elusive gold medal, Chrisia Mae hopes that her breakthrough will lead to greener pastures.
“I will not stop chasing my dream na makalaro sa ibang bansa, na in a younger age po ay maka-Olympics ako,” concluded Chrisia Mae, who also became the first gold medalist in the 2025 Palarong Pambansa.
Shayne Mark Monreal’s golden debut
In shining a spotlight on elementary and high school student athletes, the Palarong Pambansa also acts as a showcase of the Philippines’ rich pool of sporting talents.
Among many other athletes, this year saw the rise of nine-year-old Shayne Mark Monreal, who leaves Ilocos Norte as one of the most bemedaled athletes in this year’s Palarong Pambansa.
A first-timer in the Palaro, Shayne Mark is an arnisador who collected an impressive four gold medals in the elementary boys’ arnis competition. Shayne Mark won gold medals in likha anyo single weapon, double weapon, likha anyo espada y daga, and mixed double weapon as a representative of the Northern Mindanao region.
Without a doubt, the future is bright for this kid, and we wouldn’t be surprised to see him shine again in the upcoming Palarong Pambansa stagings.
A birthday gift to remember for Trixia Arellano
“Super Tikya” Trixia Arellano didn’t just capture hearts, as she also captured medals as this year’s barefoot runner for the Palarong Pambansa.
With nothing but tape on her feet, Trixia Anne shattered the 17-year record set by Maureen Schrijvers in 2008 in the 200m dash, clocking 26.4 seconds to eclipse the 26.7 seconds previously held by Schrijvers to win one of her two Palaro gold medals.
Trixia also went on to rule the 100m dash, completing an impressive and inspiring run in Ilocos Norte.
“Masayang–masaya po, first time ko po kasing mag-Palaro tapos sumikat ako. May mga nagsasabi bibigyan daw po nila akong sapatos saka gamit,” Trixia, who also celebrated her birthday at the Palaro, said.
Davao Region’s historic boys’ basketball gold medal
After falling short one too many times, Davao Region finally broke through in the Palarong Pambansa.
Represented by Ateneo de Davao University, Region 11 finally took home its first Palarong Pambansa gold medal in secondary boys’ basketball, saving their best for last by dispatching Western Visayas in a statement 67-51 victory.
“We wanted to prove that our Davao Region can also compete against Visayas and Luzon, we wanted to prove that we’re the team to beat in the tournament, and we’re the champion team in Davao that can also compete with other schools nationwide”, team captain Sebastian Laroya said in a press conference organized by Ateneo de Davao.
It was the perfect ending to a dominant run by the Davao contingent, who went unbeaten throughout eliminations and the playoff rounds en route to a historic breakthrough at the Palaro.
And while Western Visayas was coming off a series of giant-slaying victories against the National Capital Region and CALABARZON, Davao’s desire to make history ultimately prevailed this time around.
Young Ivenn Tolomia defies the limits
In another time, Ivenn Jay Tolomia and his family could have chosen to keep him away from sports, given that he was born with Glucose-6-Phosphate Dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency.
G6PD deficiency can cause hemolytic anemia, which includes symptoms such as weakness and extreme tiredness, trouble with physical activity, breathing problems, and confusion, to name a few.
Yet despite his condition, Ivenn refused to give up on his dream, and ultimately made the 2025 Palarong Pambansa as a participant in the Elementary Doubles Boys Division.
“Nung napagdesisyonan niyang papasok siya sa sports last year, sa awa ng Diyos, hindi na po siya nagkasakit, hanggang ngayon physically fit po siya,” Ivenn’s father, Vic, said of his son’s condition.
Ivenn Jay may not have won a medal at this year’s Palaro, but his participation itself is already a major victory, especially with how he defied the limitations to pursue his sporting aspirations.
“I’m thankful na supportive sila [family] sa akin at proud ako sa sarili ko kasi ginawa ko ang best ko,” Ivenn said of his time at the 2025 Palaro.
Banner images courtesy of the Department of Education on Facebook.