CLAIRE Adorna celebrates at the finish. RAFFY LERMA
SINGAPORE—Disillusioned by the politics hounding swimming, Claire Adorna moved from the confines of the pool to find success in triathlon.
The former Palarong Pambansa swim champion proved that she made the right choice Saturday by pocketing the first gold medal of the Philippines in women’s triathlon at the 28th Southeast Asian Games here.
“There’s politics in swimming,” said Adorna, a former UAAP swim champion from the University of the Philippines. “I won’t be here if I continued in that sport.”
She was referring to the rift between the Philippine Aquatic Sports Association of Mark Joseph and the Philippine Swimming League of Susan Papa, where Adorna belonged.
The shift began when the 21-year-old from Marikina City started riding a bike.
“Two years ago, I had a boyfriend who lent me his bike. My friends then told me why not give triathlon a chance,” said Adorna.