Saturday, December 08, 2007 Davao lass makes SEA Games finals By Marianne Saberon-Abalayan
DAVAO City's very own Anna Celina Gonzalez entered the 24th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games women's swimming 100-meter freestyle finals set Friday evening at the 33rd Anniversary of Nakhon Ratchasima Aquatics Center, Thailand.
Gonzalez clocked a total of one minute and 01.95 seconds Friday morning to qualify for the gold medal race.
She grabbed the last and eighth slot of the women's 100m freestyle finals starting list in her first-ever SEA Games stint. But the former Ateneo de Davao University tanker and Coastland Davao Swim Team (CDST) mainstay Gonzalez was the youngest among finalists at age 14.
Gonzalez, a scholar of the Philippine Center of Excellence for Aquatic Sports (PCEAS) based at the Trace Aquatics Center in Los Baños, Laguna, will be swimming at lane No. 8.
Indonesia bet 17-year-old Felicia Leksono, who qualified by clocking 1:00.31, will swim on lane 1 while Malaysia' 15-year-old Kah Yan Chan (59.60) on lane 2. Thailand's 19-year-old Jiratida P. Yosophon (58.92) on lane 3, Thailand's 21-year-old Natthanan J. Krahang (58.00) on lane 4,
Singapore's 15-year-old Ting Wen Quah (58.59) on lane 5, Singapore's 16-year-old Chui Bin Mylene Ong (59.60) on lane six and Malaysia's 16-year-old Chii Lin Leung (59.88) on lane 7.
Singaporean Joecellin Yeo is the SEAG record holder in the event with a clocking of 56.05.
Gonzalez' training with the PCEAS is part of the preparations for the 2012 London Olympics.
She had won gold medals for Davao in past Palarong Pambansa meets and in other national and international club competitions.
