Rule makes swan song

Remedy Rule is done with the Olympics — for good.

Rule delivered a forgettable performance in her final Olympic stint as she failed to reach finals of the women’s 200m butterfly event Wednesday at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre.

The former Texas Longhorn clocked two minutes and 12.89 seconds, but it wasn’t enough as she failed to advance after finishing 15th overall.

Zhang Yufei of China, a three-time Asian Games gold medalist, shone with 2:04.89 while Hali Flikinger of the United States and Boglarka Kapas of Hungary registered 2:06.23 and 2:06.23 minutes, respectively, to advance to the finals.

Still, Philippine Swimming Inc. president Lailani Velasco beams with pride over the performance of the Filipino-American tanker who clinched a silver medal in the 30th Southeast Asian Games.

“Remedy finished the event ranked 15th. I believe nobody in modern swimming history has achieved that high of a rank,” Velasco said.

“We are very happy with her performance in these Games. She has always represented the country well and she has most certainly inspired a lot of Filipinos to do well in swimming.”

Velasco said Rule will be heading for retirement with a lot of happy memories, including competing against the best tankers in the world in the Olympics.

“Although she had announced her retirement before the Games begun, we still hope to see her at the pool,” she said. “We are truly grateful for her service to the country. She makes us all proud to be a Filipino.”

In a social media post, the University of Texas alumnus said she felt honored to represent the country on the biggest stage in sports as her swan song.