Pinoy swimmers make waves in Bangkok
Filipino swimmers smashed six national junior records and placed sixth among nine countries in the 40th Southeast Asian Age Group Swimming Championships in Bangkok.
Batang Pinoy champion Bhay Maitland Newberry struck the lone gold for the country in the 13-and-under 100-meter breaststroke on the first day of competitions during the weekend that triggered a deluge of silver and bronze medals for the Philippines.
The Filipino-Australian also seized a silver in the 200m breaststroke in 2:28.69, shattering the 10-year-old national mark of 2:29.10 accomplished by Dorothy Grace Hong.
But among the records that fell during the three-day meet, it was the performance of former Palarong Pambansa multiple-gold winner Maurice Sacho Ilustre that stood above the rest of the 40-man Filipino contingent.
Ilustre wound up with a silver in the boys’ 16-18 200m butterfly in 2:03.31 behind gold medalist Nguyen Huy Hoang of Vietnam (2:01.46), both eclipsing the SEA age group standard of 2:04.04 set by Thailand’s Navaphat Wonggcharoen in Singapore in 2014.
Ilustre also compiled 739 Fina points, the highest among the Filipinos who also brought home a total of 10 silvers and 11 bronzes.
Breaststroker Miranda Cristina Renner captured two silvers in the girls’ 14-15 50m and 100m freestyle after clocking 26.88 seconds and 59.82 seconds, respectively. She broke the record of Jules Ong (27.88) in the 50m free set early this year.
Renner, a Filipino-American based in Paris, also placed second in the 50m breast aside from plucking a bronze in the 100m breast.
Overall, Vietnam collected 39 gold, 39 silver and 27 bronze medals, Indonesia placed second (24-17-17) and Singapore ended up third (18-15-21).
“We’re moving in the right direction,” said Philippine Swimming Inc.’s Lani Velasco. “This process requires the collective effort of athletes, coaches, parents and the government,” said Velasco.
