Sunday, January 06, 2008 Davao's Perez leaves for China By Marianne L. Saberon-Abalayan
DAVAO City diver Sheila Mae Perez left for China Saturday to join her four other teammates who went there earlier for a six-week training in preparation for the Beijing Olympics World Qualifying set on Feb. 19.
Perez, who won one gold medal and one silver in the Thailand Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in December last year, completes the five-member RP diving team that will eye for Olympic berths.
Fellow Dabawenyos Jaime Asok, Rexel Ryan Fabriga, Niño Carog and Zardo Domenios are also part of the team.
Asok and Fabriga won the 2007 SEA Games men's 10-meter synchronized platform gold.
The latter salvaged a silver in the 10m individual platform. Carog and Domenios, however, bagged a silver in men's three-meter synchronized springboard. Domenios also got a silver in men's 1m individual springboard and a bronze in 3m individual springboard.
Perez, who struck for three golds in the 2005 Philippines SEAG, said she is eyeing to rank among the top five in the World Qualifying.
"I hope to make it in the top five although I can still play in the Olympics as long as I finish at the top 36 among a hundred hopefuls," she said in an interview with Sun.Star Davao before she returned to Manila.
She added in the vernacular, "I also hope that my other teammates will also make the cut."
Perez and Domenios made their Olympic debut in Sydney, Australia in 2000. The lady diver also qualified for the 2004 Athens Olympics but was not able to compete due to funding constraints.
"This might be my last Olympics so I need to qualify. I also hope to win an Olympic medal" she smiled.
