GENERAL SANTOS CITY — Franklin Catera of Iloilo broke the Batang Pinoy boys’ U18 high jump record thrice last Tuesday here at the Antonio Acharon Sports Complex.

The 17-year-old Catera already clinched the gold medal after hitting 1.97 meters but wanted to make sure he ends his Batang Pinoy stint with a bang.

He first set a new meet record of 1.99m, breaking last year’s record of 1.98m in Puerto Princesa City. A few minutes later, he cleared 2.02m before setting a new Batang Pinoy standard of 2.04m.

The son of a housewife and freelancer said he wanted to reach new heights regardless of whether he wins a medal or not.

“It feels good to break my own record. I really focused on the high jump. For me, it doesn’t matter if I win or lose as long as I reach my new personal bests,” Catera said.

“I changed how I approached my run for this year.”

Meanwhile, hometown bet Christian Isaiah Lagnason won his third gold medal in as many events after conquering the boys’ 12-13 100-meter butterfly after clocking in one minute and 0.55 seconds.

The 13-year-old Lagnason said he was just following his training as he is now one of the hottest prospects in the biggest grassroots competitions organized by the Philippine Sports Commission.

“I just recalled the training we did with our coach and the focal points they taught us,” Lagnason told DAILY TRIBUNE.

Edward Dylan Plaza of Negros Occidental settled for a silver medal with a time of 1:01.81 while James de Guzman of Bataan clinched the bronze medal after clocking in 1:02.12.