Xiandi Chua will be among the swimmers tasked to end the country’s golden drought in the Southeast Asian Games. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
Remedy Alexis Rule was good as advertised during the recent Philippine National Open Swimming Championships held at Fina-approved New Clark City Aquatics Center.
The 22-year-old Filipino-American will spearhead the 27-strong national team that the Philippine Swimming Inc. has enlisted for the 30th Southeast Asian Games.
“Representing the Philippines is really an awesome experience. From now until the SEA Games, my goal is to achieve faster times in the events where I will swim,” said Rule, an All-American from the University of Texas Longhorns in the US NCAA.
Joining Rule in the SEA Games lineup are Olympians Jasmine Alkhaldi and Jessie Khing Lacuna, SEA Games double silver medalist James Deiparine, Filipino-Kiwi Luke Gebbie and Nicole Oliva, who wore the national colors in the 2018 Youth Olympic Games.
Homegrown talents Jerald Jacinto, Miguel and Rafael Barreto, former Palarong Pambansa star Maurice Sacho Ilustre, Xiandi Chua, Roxanne Yu, Chloe Isleta, Thanya dela Cruz and Rosalee Santa Ana also made the team.
The Philippines has yet to win a swim gold since Miguel Molina in 2011.
Rule, Deiparine and Gebbie could end the search for gold based on previous performances in the Fina World Championships.
Rule reset five Philippine records in the worlds held in Gwangju, South Korea, last month and made the Olympic Selection Time (OST) B-cut in the women’s 200-meter butterfly.
Gebbie also registered a national record in the men’s 100-meter free during the world championships after clocking 49.94 seconds that met the OST B standard of 50.3 seconds.