ASIAN SWIMFEST DEBUT
Davao City tankers Enot, Lebanon compete in Olympic qualifying event
DAVAO City standout tankers Ivo Nikolai Enot and Paolo Miguel Labanon will make their debut in the 11th Asian Age Group Aquatics Championships, a qualifying event for the Paris 2024 Olympics and the world swimming championships, from February 26 to March 9, 2024, at the New Clark City Aquatics Center (NCC) in Capas, Tarlac.
Enot, an 18-year-old Ateneo de Manila University (AdMU) Grade 12 student, will compete in five individual events along with two relay events awaiting confirmation.
He spends three hours of daily pool training with his Harpoons teammate and undergoes individual land training afterward.
“Well, it’s overwhelming to know that I’m competing against swimmers from over 38 countries in an Olympic qualifying competition, but I know I’ve been preparing for this and I knew this day would come,” Enot, who won five golds for Davao City in the 2023 Batang Pinoy national championships, said in a Facebook interview with SunStar Davao on Tuesday, February 13.
He also said that he’s at least 85 percent ready for the competition as he just has to complete his tapering week and get a ventosa body massage before the competition week starts.
He acknowledged the challenging journey ahead, particularly in achieving his Olympic dream, but remains optimistic, setting his expectations reasonably for his first Asian Age Group appearance.
“To be honest, I’m still far away from my Olympic dream. The qualifying time in my favorite event which is the 100m backstroke is still far from reality. At least makapasok for finals (I would like to at least just make it to the finals). Since this is my first time joining AsianAge, I’ll be setting my expectations kinda low,” Enot said. He recently swept seven gold medals in the division meet.
On the other hand, Labanon anticipates gaining valuable experiences in the championships.