8 PH swimmers eye berths in 2018 Youth Olympics

Eight junior swimmers are vying for a trip to Buenos Aires, Argentina, and win medals for the Philippines in the 2018 Youth Olympic Games.

Philippine Swimming Inc. secretary general Lani Velasco said 15-year-old Nicole Oliva heads the cast of Filipino aspirants in the quadrennial Games featuring the best athletes in the world 18 years old and younger.

Oliva, a US-trained tanker who placed fourth in the 200-meter freestyle event of the Kuala Lumpur Southeast Asian Games, reached the Qualifying Time A (QTA) after compiling 792 Fina (International Swimming Federation) points.

Filipino-British swimmer Bhay Newberry (100m backstroke) and Rafael Barreto (100m butterfly), Xiandi Chua (200m individual medley), Philip Joaquin Santos (200m back), Regina Castrillo (100m fly) and Miranda Renner (100m free) also positioned themselves as possible candidates for the YOG after meeting the Qualifying Time B set by Fina.

The world governing body in the sport has offered a total of 140 slots each for men and women swimmers from 206 countries in the YOG on Oct. 6 to 18 next year.

“These swimmers were given the opportunity to train overseas and they’re reaping it now,” Velasco told the Inquirer.

Velasco explained they should gain more Fina points to make the cut.