Bright future ahead for PH diving

FILE – Photo from Philippine Swimming Inc. Facebook

MANILA, Philippines—Monique Ann Demaisip and Francisco Deorelar capped a future full of promise and expectations for Philippine diving in the just-concluded 10th Asian Age Group Swimming Championships in Bangalore, India.

Emerging supreme among the continent’s cream of the crop, Demaisip secured her second gold medal in the 3-meter springboard individual open for women over 18 years old with 214.40 points.

Kazakhstan divers Zhijravleva Juliya and Borova Yelizaveta settled for the silver and bronze with 207.25 and 156.15 points.

The 25-year-old Deorelar got the nod of the judges with 295.70 points for the gold medal in the men’s 3-meter springboard individual open, beating India’s Sharma Ramananda, who placed second with 287.75 points.

Pradeshi Siddharth of India settled for the bronze (282.15).

Demaisip earlier ruled the women’s 1-meter springboard individual open with 185.55 points, besting the finest young divers in silver medalist Borova Yelizaveta of Kazakhstsn (180.30) and bronze performer Lai Yu Yen of Chinese Taipei (167.40).

Both Demaisip and Deorelar will see action in the 3-meter springboard event during the 30th Southeast Asian Games, a qualifier to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

According to Philippine Swimming Inc. president Lailani Velasco, these divers are scheduled to resume training in China as the local swimming federation eyes two more major international tournaments for them.

Next on schedule is the Australian leg of the Fina Diving Grand Prix on Nov. 8-10 followed by the Malaysian leg on Nov.15-17 where Demaisip and Deorelar can gauge the best divers in the Southeast Asian region.

Chinese head coach Xiaofeing Cui and coach Nino Beduya Carog under the team management of Marie Dimanche have been credited for the successful output of the divers on the continental level.

The feats of Demaisip and Deorelar came on the heels Jalil Taguinod’s silver-medal performance in the 14-under boys 50m breaststroke during the Asian age group championships.

Taguinod’s 31.10-second clocking likewise erased the 16-year national record held by Gerard Bordado (31.27).

Also resetting another PH junior record was Siklab Sports Youth Awardee Jasmine Mojdeh, who clocked 2:29.87 in the 13-under girls 200m individual medley. Mojdeh wiped out her old record of 2:30.31.