LUIS Cinches Jurado introduced himself to the national stage in spectacular fashion after winning all seven events in swimming and earning the Most Outstanding Athlete for the sport in the Private Schools Athletic Association national finals in Bacolod City.
Jurado, an incoming 10th grader of the University of Bohol, 4:26.81 boys 400mfree 50M (25.96), 100M (56.19), 200M (2:03.82), 400M (4:26.81) free and 1,500M (18:20.16) freestyle and also anchored Region 7’s gold-medal winning team in the 4x400M (4:00.77) together with Travis Malnegro, Bry Delito and Vittorio Gallito and the 4X200M (2:02.86) together with Gallito, Zachary Navarro and Seanne Pagay.
For Jurado and his family, his outstanding Prisaa stint has given him confidence, visibility, and a stronger sense of validation as a young athlete, especially it comes two years after failing to make the Palarong Pambansa. He has been training more seriously, changing his lifestyle, and committing more deeply to the sport, while still balancing school and daily training.
He is now preparing for Palarong Pambansa, where he will be competing in a tough 13 to 18 age category against strong swimmers from different regions. The focus for the young athlete is to recover well, maintain his confidence, continue improving his personal best, and gain valuable experience at the national level.
While medals are always part of the dream, the bigger goal for Luis and his family is “long-term development”. They want to help him grow into a strong, disciplined, and sustainable athlete, not just for one competition, but for the years ahead.
Luis’ story is also one of resilience. After the disappointment of missing Palaro for two years, he chose to train harder, stay committed, and keep going. That mindset is what his family hopes to protect as he takes this next step.