(ASIAN GAMES) Brosas saves Molina for key pool events

GUANGZHOU—Reigning Southeast Asian Games 400-meter individual medley winner Miguel Molina is pulling out of that event in the 16th Asian Games here to improve his chances in other distances, national coach Pinky Brosas  said Friday. Molina will skipper a swim team that has modest expectations in this quadrennial meet, and was slated to compete in the 400m IM heats Saturday morning before the change in plans was announced. “We withdrew Miguel from the 400 IM to prepare him for the 200 IM and the relays,” Brosas said. The coach is hoping Molina’s withdrawal will give him energy to seriously contend for a medal in the 200m IM and anchor the squad in relays. The men’s swim team is made up of Molina, Ryan Arabejo, Daniel Coakley, Charles Walker and Jessie King Lacuna. “The competition will be tough,” said Brosas. “Japan, (South) Korea and China will really dominate. Miguel will need to be really fast in the 200 medley because it will take a time of less than two minutes for a medal in this event and Miguel is swimming a fraction over two minutes.” After clocking 2:05.18 seconds in a fifth-place finish in the Doha Asian Games in 2006, Molina managed to shave a little under two seconds off that time and registered 2:03.68 in last year’s SEA Games in Vientiane, Laos. The final cast for the relay teams has yet to be named, although Brosas said his goal is to make everybody reach the finals in swimming competitions. “We want everybody to get in the finals and contend for a medal,” he said. Jasmine Alkhaldi will open the PH campaign in the pool when she hits the water at 9 a.m. at the Aoti Aquatics Center for the 200 free heats. Teammate Erica Totten will also swim in the 200 free, but in a later heat.