The flooding caused by Tropical Storm “Kristine” in Naga City lit a fire inside TJ Amaro as he went on to clinch four gold medals in the Batang Pinoy National Championships in Puerto Princesa City in Palawan last week.

Amaro, 17, said knowing his family was safe despite the flooding caused by the storm motivated him to perform better in one of the biggest multi-sport competitions at the grassroots level.

The San Beda University-Rizal standout also made new Batang Pinoy records in the boys’ 16 to 17 50-meter freestyle with a time of 24.32 seconds, the 100-meter freestyle event in 52.59 seconds, and the 200-m freestyle event in one minute and 57.04 seconds.

“I’m motivated but at the same time, I’m worried because I haven’t spoken with my parents at the time,” Amaro said.

“When I found out that they were okay and handling it pretty well, that pushed me to be more motivated,” Amaro said.

Amaro has had a stellar campaign locally in 2024.

Last July, he became the most bemedalled athlete in the Palarong Pambansa in Cebu City after grabbing seven gold medals.

Now, he is setting his sights on helping San Beda reclaim the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) juniors’ swimming crown.

“In the NCAA, I want all my swims to be good because it’s my last year. There’s a big pressure since I’m the team captain,” Amaro said.

“We’re running up last year so, this year, we’re chasing the championship and I hope and can break my personal bests.”