Twelve-year-old Riley Maddaleign Alindogan from Albay won five gold medals in swimming at the 2026 Palarong Pambansa in Agusan del Sur.
Alindogan, a student at St. Agnes Academy in Legazpi City, competed for the Bicol delegation in the elementary girls’ division. She claimed gold in the 400m freestyle, 100m breaststroke, and 4x50m medley relay on May 26. The following day she added titles in the 200m freestyle and 200m individual medley.
Teammates and coaches described the swimmer as shy off the pool deck. Alindogan said she had expected only one gold medal. She also finished second in the 50m breaststroke after setting a new Palaro record of 36.09 seconds.
Alindogan took up swimming as a summer activity and grew to love the sport through early competition wins. She had not won gold in her previous Palaro appearances in 2024 and 2025.
