Mendoza breaks RP mark in US swimfest

Former Asean age group swimming gold medalist Miguel Mendoza made waves in the United States recently by breaking the Philippine 400-meter freestyle record of multi-titled Ryan Papa, in the process hurdling the qualifying time for the Sydney Olympic Games.

The 18-year-old, 5-foot-8 Mendoza clocked 4 minutes 2.63 seconds to erase the 4:04.50 mark set by Papa in one of his two gold triumphs in the 1997 Southeast Asian Games in Jakarta. The Olympic qualifying time for the event is 4:04.

An honor student at the famous Bolles School in Jacksonville, Florida where he is in 11th grade, Mendoza saw action in the Philips 66 Senior Nationals held March 28-April 1 at Federal Way, Washington. He also swam in the 1500 freestyle where he timed 16:02.52.

"I'm happy to hear the good news (that Miguel has broken Ryan's mark and made the qualifying time)," said swimming association (PASA) secretary general Ral Rosario. "But I still have to get the official document (regarding Mendoza's performance) and send it to the FINA, which actually confirms an athlete's Olympic participation."

The document Rosario refers to is the OVC (Official Verification Card) signed by meet officials of USA Swimming.

One of the first two Filipino swimmers to qualify for the Sydney Olympics, Carlo Piccio, also competed in the US event, which usually features the best American splashers like Tom Dolan and Gary Hall. But Piccio didn't do too well, clocking only 4:11.46 and 16:26.85 in the 400 and 1500 freestyle, respectively.

The other RP swimmers who have made the Olympic qualifying marks are Lizza Danila and Jenny Guerrero.

Mendoza, whose parents Jaime, BASF group manager for regional marketing and business development, and Diane are based in Singapore, has been studying and swimming at the Bolles School for eight months now.

Shortly after his record performance, the good-looking Mendoza received a congratulatory message from Ryan Papa through the e-mail.

"It's quite expensive," said Ms. Mendoza of her son's studies and swimming stint in Florida. "But it's worth it considering that Migs (who won a gold in the 1997 Asean meet in Brunei) has tremendously improved his personal best times of 4:10.52 and 16:31.43 when he competed for Xavier School in Manila."

Mendoza earned the trip to the Philips 66 Senior Nationals by performing well in the Speedo Junior Nationals (Southeast sector). He finished seventh in a field of 46 in the 1000-yard freestyle and fifth out of 24 in the 500-yard freestyle.

Mendoza, a member of the Bolles School Sharks who won the Junior Nationals team crown for the eighth straight year, swims 18,000 to 20,000 meters daily under the watchful eyes of coach Larrry Shofe.