How a previous DQ fueled swimmer Anton Della to a record-breaking Palarong Pambansa finish

AGUSAN DEL SUR — Anton Della turned a previous disqualification into motivation, fueling a record-breaking performance that earned him his second gold medal in the 2026 Palarong Pambansa.

The 17-year-old swimmer from the Ilocos Region dominated the secondary boys’ 200-meter individual medley, clocking 2:09.97 to capture the gold medal at the Aquatic Center inside the Datu Lipus Makapandong Governor D.O. Plaza Sports Complex.

His performance shattered the previous meet record of 2:12.14 set by Peter Cyrus Dean during the 2024 Palarong Pambansa in Cebu.

For Della, the victory served as redemption after a heartbreaking setback the day before.

The fourth-year Palaro athlete shared that he initially finished first in the 400m individual medley but was later disqualified due to what he described as an incorrect transition touch during the race.

“This is going to be my most memorable event because of what happened yesterday with my DQ,” Della told reporters.

“Yes, it put fire to my fuel. What happened yesterday was just a lesson for today. I’m really happy about it.”

Della revealed that his camp attempted to protest the disqualification, but the decision stood.

National Capital Region swimmer Aishel Evangelista eventually claimed the gold medal in the 400m individual medley with a time of 4:46.36, while Region XII swimmers Christian Lagnason and Jibril Talosig settled for silver and bronze, respectively.

Lagnason clocked 4:53.43, while Talosig finished in 4:56.95.

“I swam the 400m IM, I got first, but I got DQ’ed. We tried to protest but they don’t want to hear. When we have the video proof about it, they just didn’t look at it,” Della added.

“I guess it already happened, we can’t do anything about it. I am grateful I got the record today.”

Della’s record-breaking swim handed him his second gold medal of the competition after also winning the 400m freestyle — the opening swimming event of the ongoing Palarong Pambansa.

In that race, Della posted a time of 4:10.33 to kick off the swimming competitions in dominant fashion.

—JKC, GMA News