Swimming competition under way; Fil-Ams lead chase for seven golds

LOS BANOS — Like its counterparts in the diving squad, the national swimming team hopes to use its China experience to the hilt as it plunges into action at the start of the pool competition of the 23rd Southeast Asian Games at the Trace Aquatics Center here.

Out to improve their two-gold, six-silver and five-bronze medal haul in the 2003 Hanoi Games, the Nationals are expected to lean on a mix of Fil-foreign and local tankers as they fight for seven gold medals staked in Day 1.

Philippine Amateur Swimming Association president Mark Joseph has refused to comment on the country’s medal chances although he earlier predicted a six-gold-medal haul in the event which stakes the second most number of gold medals — 32, second to athletics’ 43.

Swimming’s national training director Pinky Brosas, for his part, said: "Anything can happen. We will do our best and enjoy this once-in-a-lifetime event. The kids are ready to make the most out of it."

Focus will be on Miguel Molina, who is seeking to match, if not better, his two-gold, two-silver and three-bronze medal output in Vietnam as he competes in the 400-meter individual medley.

Molina will be teaming up with fellow Fil-American Juan Miguel Mendoza, Ronald Guiriba and newcomer Ryan Arabejo when the host country defends its 200-m freestyle relay crown.

The other swimmer to watch is new Fil-Am recruit Erica Totten, who will see action in the 200-m individual relay along with Jenny Rose Guerrero and the 4x200-m freestyle relay where she will team up with Georgina Gandionco, Chrizel Lagunday and Nicole Santiago.

Totten, 17, made it to the RP squad after erasing three national records, including the long-standing 200-m freestyle mark of former national team mainstay and now swimming secretary-general Akiko Thomson some two decades back.

Totten, whose mother Yolanda is a Filipina, trained at the prestigious Bolles School in Florida under Jeff Poppel, who also coaches 2003 Hanoi SEAG 1500-m freestyle gold medalist Miguel Mendoza, broke records in the 100-m butterfly and the 400-m individual medley where she is also seeing action.

Liza Danila, the most veteran in the squad at 23, is competing in two events — the 100-m freestyle and the 200-m backstroke where she is a consistent silver medalist starting in the 1999 Brunei Games.

Danila, however, will have to double her effort in the 100-m freestyle since Joscelin Yeo of Singapore is also participating in the event where she is current record holder with a time of 56.05 seconds. Yeo, 24, harvested a whopping six gold medal–in the 50-m freestyle, 100-m freestyle, 100-m butterfly, 200-m IM, 4x100-m freestyle and 4x100 medley — to become the Vietnam Games’ best female athlete.

Other Filipino bets swimming in Day 1 of the five-day pool meet are Heidi Gem Ong (100-m freestyle), Evan Grabador and Mark Tano (200-m backstroke), Luica Dacanay (200-m backstroke) and Ferdinand Frigillana (400-m IM). — Joey Villar