Camille Lauren Buico. FACEBOOK PHOTO
SWIMMER Camille Lauren Buico seized a bronze medal Thursday as the Philippine campaign kicked off in the Children of Asia International Games in Yakutsk, Russia.
The 13-year-old Grade 8 student from University of Santo Tomas clocked a personal best of 2 minutes and 28.96 seconds behind fellow podium finishers Chan Yan and Nathalie Ko of Hong Kong in the girls’ 200-meter butterfly at Yakutia pool.
Buico qualified for the Games, which features the best athletes aged 16 years and under from Asia and Russia, after winning five gold medals in the 2015 Batang Pinoy.
Swimmers Joaquin Santos failed to land on the podium, finishing fourth both in the heat and finals of the boys’ 200m butterfly with a personal best of 2:09.41.
Rafael Barreto, a veteran campaigner in the Southeast Asian Age Group Swimming Championships, placed third in his 100m freestyle heat and wound up eighth overall. Seven Russians, out of 47 participants, competed. June Navarro