BORACAY — In his international debut, Palarong Pambansa standout Anton Paulo Dominick Della bagged an age-group silver medal in the men’s 10-kilometer race at the 4th Southeast Asia Open Water Championships here Friday, August 21.
Swimming in ideal conditions on a 1.66-kilometer course off Boracay Newcoast overlooking the Sibuyan Sea, Della clocked 2 hours and 20 seconds to place second in the 18-19 age group.
The 17-year-old from San Fernando, La Union, who won four gold medals at the recent Palarong Pambansa in Agusan del Sur, also narrowly missed the podium in the open division, finishing just one stroke behind the third-place finisher among 31 entries.
Vietnam’s Ngoc Vin Dho won the open race in 1:58.30, followed by Indonesia’s Mochammad Taufik in 2:00.06 and Vietnam’s Van Dung Cao in 2:00.15. Della finished just five seconds behind Cao.
Sharing the spotlight with Della was Dianna Celyn Cruz, who battled painful hips to win bronze in the women’s 20-and-over age group in 2:48.17.
Cruz finished 16th overall among 20 entries in the women’s open division, which Vietnam swept, with Kha Ni Nguyen winning in 2:18.29 and Huynh Tu Uyen Le taking second in 2:19.26.
The Philippine Aquatics Inc. organized the meet, which was sanctioned by the Southeast Asian Swimming Federation and supported by the Philippine Sports Commission and the provincial government of Aklan and the municipal government of Malay.
“I swam a tactical race by trying to keep myself in the lead pack. The weather was good from the first to fourth rounds, while the fifth and sixth rounds were a bit wavy or choppy,” Della said.
“You need to last long in this kind of race, so I drafted behind the lead swimmers so it didn’t get heavy so much before making my move in the last 500 meters,” he added.
“It is really great to have competed because the 10K race is like the ultramarathon of swimming, and this medal inspires me to believe I can accomplish something here,” Della said. “I won’t hesitate to do it all over again.”
Cruz, meanwhile, said she nearly quit after the third round because of the pain in her hips.
“I wasn’t feeling well and wanted to give up after the third round because my hips were hurting,” said Cruz, who had the flu and had not trained for five days before the meet.
“I had a left hip strain while working out here last June. I thought it would be OK now, but then both hips began to hurt. I just thank God I was able to endure it. He gave me strength,” said Cruz, a born-again Christian.
Della will return to action early Saturday for the mixed relay, where he will team up with Alex Tiu, Graziella Sophia Ato and Nuche Veronica Ibit.
Each swimmer will cover a 1,500-meter leg, with a male swimmer starting the race, followed by two female swimmers before the second male swimmer anchors the relay. PR
