PSL tankers clinch 11 golds, rip two marks in Tokyo meet
The Philippine Swimming League ( PSL) continued its dominating performance by winning seven more golds including two new records along with four silvers and two bronzes in the 2016 Buccaneer Invitational Swimming Championship yesterday at the St. Mary’s International School swimming pool in Tokyo, Japan.
Immaculate Heart of Mary College- Parañaque bet Micaela Jasmine Mojdeh notched another record, this time in the girls’ 9-10 50m butterfly in 33.07-seconds, erasing the 34.93 old mark of Japanese Natsuki Uchino last year.
She also led the girls’ 9-10 team in winning the 200m freestyle relay in 2:21.49, smashing the 10-year-old mark of 2:23.31 established by the Buccaneers-Japan team in 2006. The other members are Triza Tabamo, Shaine Sanchez and Julyiana Calibjo.
Not in any way overshadowed was Weisenheimer Academy’s Marc Bryan Dula, who registered 35.49 seconds to claim the gold medal in the boys’ 9-10 50m butterfly. He upended strong Japanese tankers Genta Hirao (37.87) and Kenta Uemura (38.77), who settled for silver and bronze, respectively.
Rio Lorenzo Malapitan of Divine Word College-Calapan (boys’ 11-12 50m butterfly, 30.15), Trump Christian Luistro of Hope Christian SchoolLegazpi (boys’ 8-under 25m butterfly, 19.42), Diane Fabicon ( girls’ 15- 18 200m backstroke, 3: 10.33) and the girls’ 13-14 400m freestyle relay team of Felice Alexis Reyes, Paula Carmela Cusing, Kyla Soguilon and Shyne Nicole Villagomeza (5:01.90) also won gold medals in their respective events.
“The field is really tough but we’re happy that our swimmers are doing well in their respective events. We’re not yet done and the kids are still in fighting mode,” said PSL president Susan Papa.
Winning silver medals were Lowestein Julian Lazaro (boys’ 1314 100m butterfly, 1:08.44), Tabamo (200m freestyle, 2:46.00), the boys’ 9- 10 200m freestyle relay of Dula, Luistro, John Rylle Villagomeza and Lee Grant Cabral (2:30.82), and the boys’ 13-14 400m freestyle relay of Lucio Cuyong II, Zachie Gallegos, Jairus Lester Laguidao and Lazaro.
Accounting for the two bronzes the team won for the day were Tabamo (50m butterfly, 37.69) and the boys’ 11-12 200m freestyle relay of Malapitan, Angelo Macaraig, Albert Sermonia II and Remogenes Sobretodo (2:08.78).
So far, the Philippines has 30 medals on 11 golds, 11 silvers and eight bronzes to take the No. 3 spot in the team standings with 316 points with host Japan leading the pack with 754 points followed by the British Team with 351 points.
“We have already surpassed our medal target of winning 10 gold medals in this competition with one day left and a lot of gold medals to be disputed. We’re aiming for a strong finishing kick on the final day of the competition,” added Papa.