Limpag: PHL’s lost Olympian
WHEN I first heard about the Maxime Rooney case, I knew he was an Olympic gold medalist the country lost due to near-sighted policies of our sports bodies.
I found it ironic that for a country that latches on to anyone who excels in international singing competitions abroad who happens to have a drop of Filipino blood in them to basically shoo away this gifted swimmer who wanted to compete for the country.
That was way back in 2012 when, as a teen, the grandson of former Lapu-Lapu City mayor Arturo Radaza was setting a name for himself in the California swimming circuit.
He and his family asked if he could compete for the Philippines. They were told that part of the requirement was to relocate to Manila for a year. Why? Only the people who headed the national sports association for swimming knew. I think that partly explains the state of swimming then, which had bitter factions who’d fight each other’s every move.
In 2015, as a 17-year-old, Rooney set the junior world record for the 200m butterfly that was even better than the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games gold medal finish of one Joseph Isaac Schooling, the same guy who’d beat Michael Phelps in the Rio Olympics.
Now, Rooney won the 200m fly in the US nationals and also set the fourth fastest time in the 100m fly, making him one of the favorites to win a gold medal in the US team in Tokyo.
And us? Heck, we’d probably have two token entries. If a country has no swimmer who qualifies then it can send one male and one female swimmer. Oh, I forgot, I say probably because I’m not sure the swimming NSA has gotten its acts together.
The last news I read about the NSA was about a proposed swim meet to be undertaken by the rival factions to determine the country’s representatives in the SEA Games. I’m not even sure if that pushed through.
As for Rooney, Lapu-Lapu City’s soon-to-be-most-famous-grandson, his slot in the Olympics is secure, thanks to the short-sightedness of PHL sports officials in 2012. Just imagine what would have happened to the then promising young man if PHL officials got their way and he did indeed relocate to Manila for a year.
His progress, for sure, would have been stunted and he wouldn’t be as good as he is now.
And now, he will soon be added to that list of Filipinos who won Olympic medals for other countries, while the rest of the country wait for the next big star in foreign shows with Pinoy heritage to go viral after a stunning rendition.