Enjoying the moment makes Mojdeh ‘The Water Beast’
MICAELA Jasmine Mojdeh, 16, is one of the most promising swimmers in the country. She set new records and racked up 16 gold medals on top of the silvers and bronzes in the span of three years, dominating the country’s national tournaments in multiple events.
Last year, the pride of Brent International School also competed in 14 events at the 8th FINA World Junior Swimming Championships in Peru, where she reached the semifinals of the girls’ 100m butterfly event.
UAAP schools UP, UST, La Salle and Ateneo; US NCAA schools John Hopkins, Richmond and University of Denver; and even some European universities are trying to recruit her, according to Jasmine herself and her mom Joan.
She is that good. She even got the nickname “The Water Beast” for her excellence.
The beast in Jasmine isn’t necessarily a monster, of course. The beast was born out of her enjoyment in swimming. That’s how she started.
“I started swimming when I was 6 years old. Originally, I started at 5 and then I stopped, but I returned to swimming when my coach Jojo came back and told me to return. I just continued from there and got better. I really got enamored with swimming; I really had fun,” Mojdeh, also a bemedalled Palarong Pambansa swimmer, shared in The Manila Times’ “Cour tside” episode.
“I just enjoyed myself, and I wasn’t really thinking about [competitive] swimming. The next thing I knew was that I became really good, and so many people were trying to have a picture with me. I broke so many records. I was surprised.”
Traveling abroad and competing against new foes are just some of the things that Jasmine finds really satisfying. But there’s really no need for that in the Philippine pools, as she dominated last year’s Philippine Swimming Institute’s (PSI) Age Group Grand Prix National Championships.
There, she bagged a gold each in the women’s 200m freestyle, 200m breaststroke, 200m medley, 400m medley and 100m breaststroke, among others.
“The part that I enjoyed the most is competing abroad, the travel, meeting new people, and the challenge of beating a new opponent so I have another goal to achieve. That’s what I really enjoy.”
Make no mistake, enjoyment doesn’t mean resting on her laurels. Like many good athletes, Jasmine possessed a strong level of work ethic and character.
“She’s very hard working. She listens well to her coaches. Whatever she achieved today, it was the fruit of her hard work, passion and enjoyment,” said Joan.
Springboard
Joan said that if there was a springboard that catapulted her daughter to where she is right now, it had to be the Middle East Open Swimming Competitions in February 2018 in Dubai, where Jasmine snared a bronze medal in the 200m butterfly event despite competing against older opponents.
“I remember the Middle East Open when she was just 11 and she was competing against 18-year-olds and she made the podium in the 200 fly. I think it was one of her breakthrough performances. She was battling against older players. It’s the first time she didn’t compete in her age group. That was one of the most memorable competitions she had and from there she just continued to get better.”
Jasmine, indeed, got better from there. She went on to seize four gold medals at the Hamilton Aquatics Winter Long Course Swimming Championships in December 2018.
She got one of the four golds in the 200m butterfly event where she set a new Philippine national junior record of two minutes and 22.31 seconds, topping her two minutes and 25.82 seconds she set in the same event in the Middle East Open.
Jasmine then repeatedly set new records in 2019, with the last being her two minutes and 29.87 seconds in the girls’ 14-under 200m IM category of the 10th Asian Age Group Swimming Championship in Bengaluru, India.
Enjoy the process
Young as she is, Jasmine has advice for those younger than her who want to follow in her footsteps: enjoy the process.
“All I can say is enjoy the process and listen to your coaches. Whenever you’re losing the zeal to compete, don’t think too much about it, just try to enjoy. Don’t be too hard on yourself when you lose or you aren’t able to achieve your goals because you will be able to achieve those at the right time,” said Jasmine.
“My advice to the younger generation is to just keep having fun. I just want them to enjoy, work hard, and listen to their coaches and parents,” added Jasmine, who looks to make the Philippine lineup for the upcoming Southeast Asian Games in May as well return to the Junior World Championships in August.”