SEVEN Davao City tankers are ready to take the plunge in the 43rd Southeast Asia Age Group Swimming Championships that unfurls Friday, June 28, at the Morodok Techo Stadium Swimming Pool, the venue of the 2023 Southeast Asian Games, in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
Coach Haroon Cali of Holiday Gym swimming club bared that Matthieu Adrien Tao, Liaa Margarette Amoguis, Lora Micah Amoguis, Rissa Angelian Sahagun,
Ivo Nikolai Enot, Rizbon Martin Yarra, Wilart Marvee Dayaday and Maica Angela Garcia form part of the Team Philippines seeing action in the three-day competition.
The country’s delegation has a total of 70 swimmers entered in different age-group categories.
Cali said, “Chosen were the top two ranked swimmers in the Philippines based on PSI (Philippine Swimming, Inc.) competitions.”
The 13-year-old Enot of Collegio de San Ignacio, who swept three gold medals and five silvers in the Arafura Games held in April in Darwin City, Northern Territory, Australia,
said he expects to break his personal records. “Hopefully to break three Philippine junior records and win medals especially gold. I really trained hard for this year’s Sea-Age,” Enot said.
Lora, 13, another Arafura Games gold medalist from Abbas Orchard, also wants to break her own records and “to make my country proud”. She has been training at the Davao del Norte Sports and Tourism Complex swimming pool in Tagum City since the DC-University of the Philippines Mindanao’s 50-meter pool is still closed.
Her younger sister Liaa Margarette, a Palarong Pambansa 2019 gold medalist, revealed she’s been having bad times in her swims lately so she just wants to improve her time.
“I am preparing by eating healthier, less running, and of course be aggressive in the pool,” Marga said.
Mattieu Adrien Tao, meanwhile, hopes to win a medal aside from breaking his best times. “I have trained everyday for this event and conditioned my mind and my body to win,” he added.