Erika reigns in Mango invitational swimfest

Erika Yulo Visitacion dominated her rivals with record-shattering feats to bag the Outstanding Swimmer award in the third Mango Invitational swim meet held recently at the Alabang Country Club.

Visitacion, a member of the Pinky Brosas Swimming Team, beat Jasmine Alkhaldi of Tropical Swim Team and Denjyline Cordero of DAC’s and went on to capture four gold, four silver and two bronze medals in the tournament which drew more than 700 swimmers.

Not only did Visitacion erase the old mark of Bea del Mundo (1:12.74) in the 100-m freestyle in the 9-10 years division with a stunning 1:08 clocking, but she also ruled the events in breaststroke, butterfly and the 50-meter freestyle in record-setting fashion.

"You must always swim hard and fight for yourself as well as your team," said Visitacion, who is also a gold medal winner in the field of academics at the Montessori de Manila.

"Erika has a big fighting heart. She’s never afraid of anything and is a very intelligent swimmer," said Brosas who once coached Olympians Akiko Thompson and now Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) chairman Eric Buhain. "She is indeed a very bright prospect for Philippine swimming.&quo