Patricia Santor swam past adversity on her way to 2026 Palarong Pambansa success

AGUSAN DEL SUR — The water served as a refuge and a stage for glory for Patricia Santor.

The 18-year-old swimmer revealed she overcame difficult times, often feeling demotivated in both her personal life and swimming career for the past few years.

With the help of those close to her heart, especially her coaches, Santor was able to pull through and pull off an unlikely feat in the ongoing 2026 Palarong Pambansa in Agusan del Sur.

Santor, a Grade 12 student-athlete at the University of Santo Tomas and a rising swimming ace in the UAAP, made a statement in her final Palaro stint.

She swept all of her seven events to become the most bemedalled athlete in the tournament.

"Medyo emotional kasi last year ko na and ang dami ko pong dinaanan, sa totoo lang," Santor told reporters last Wednesday.

"Speechless lang kasi I was just trying to go through life before this. Ang dami pong nangyari the past few years. I bounced back and I’m glad na last year ko na ‘to, pinush ko talaga sarili ko."

Inspired by her older sister to start swimming, Santor won gold in all seven of her events this year, three of which were record-breaking, marking the end of her Palarong Pambansa journey.

She broke tournament records in 50m butterfly, 4x50m medley relay, and 4x100m medley relay while also ruling the 400m IM, 200m IM, 200m butterfly, and 100m butterfly to complete an impressive seven-gold sweep.

By her estimate, Santor, who also emerged as the most bemedalled athlete in the previous Batang Pinoy, collected a total of 15 gold medals in a four-year run on the Palaro stage.

"I really had high expectations. That was my only goal this Palaro as this is my last season. I’m really glad I got it. It’s my last year," she added.

"Marami akong pinagdaanan. A lot of challenges, motivations, moments. Sa buong Batang Pinoy and Palaro ko, sa last years ko. I still pushed through kahit mahirap. 'Di ako nag-give up and I tried my best."

—JKC, GMA News