INQUIRER Sports

MANILA, Philippines?Jhessie King Lacuna and Jasmine Al-Khaldi posted new national swim marks in a qualifying event for the Youth Olympic Games in Singapore Thursday.

Lacuna, 16, clocked one minute, 50.90 seconds in the 200-meter freestyle to beat the YOG standard time of 1:52.53 for the inaugural Games in August.

Lacuna also shattered the RP mark of 1:51.75 set by Miguel Molina during last year?s Southeast Asian Games in Laos.

Al-Khaldi, a SEA Games veteran like Lacuna, beat the B standard time of 2:09.64 in the 200m free with a 2:04.98 clocking.

She also erased Akiko Thomson?s age-group record of 2:07.23 which had stood for 20 years.

Aquatics chief Mark Joseph said the A-mark cut for the event is 2:03.4, although he expects Al-Khaldi to pass the standard in her favorite 100m free.