Paolo Miguel Labanon and Eirron Seth Vibar, both from Davao City, secured a remarkable one-two finish for the Philippines in the Epic Island Adventure Race 2024 8K Certification Swim held at Britania, San Agustin, Surigao del Sur on Saturday, March 23, 2024.
Labanon, a 17-year-old Grade 12 student of Mapua Malayan Colleges Mindanao (MMCM), clinched the title with a time of two hours and 21 seconds, surpassing 25 other swimmers. Among them was his fellow Dabawenyo, 21-year-old Vibar (2:00:32), a third-year BS Home Economics student at the University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman, and Jose Luis Larrosa Chorro of Spain (2:00:34), the global manager for Oceanman Swim, who finished second and third, respectively.
His 8K title victory was unexpected, he said, considering the seasoned nature of open-water foreign swimmers. "It was a challenge for me to compete side-by-side with them," he added.
Labanon recounted the intense moments he and his close friend Vibar faced, battling waves splashing into their faces from all directions while ensuring they stayed on course.
For him, the Britania 8K race marked his farthest open water swim yet. "I am willing to go further for the experience," he said, emphasizing his participation in the competition to revel in Britania's pristine waters and well-preserved islands and corals while testing his mettle against swimmers from diverse backgrounds.
In a separate interview, Vibar also echoed Vibar's sentiments, praising Britania as an excellent location for the event. "I enjoyed the experience very much. It was a lot of fun racing against the international competition po," he said.
Labanon captured his second title on Sunday, March 24, after topping the 5.8K four-island swim while Vibar placed third in the 6K race.
Veteran Davao swimming coach Haroon Cali was also third in the three-island race. MLSA
