Olympians, Fil-Ams boost swimmers SEA Games bid

NAKHON RATCHASIMA – US-trained Miguel Molina and Ryan Arabejo, whose recent feats earned them a spot in next year’s Beijing Olympics, will lead a 14-member RP team hoping to improve on its 2005 four-gold medal haul against world-class opposition in the 24th Southeast Asian Games competitions which start tomorrow.

Four Fil-Americans, all trained in the US under prominent coaches, and local swimmers culled from the national eliminations, the Palarong Pambansa and Philippine Olympic Festival, are also on the national team seeing action in the competitions slated Dec. 7-11 at the Aquatic Center, His Majesty the King’s 80th birth anniversary stadium, here.

Molina, winner of the 200 and 400 individual medley and 200m breaststroke in the Manila SEA Games, gained a slot in the 2008 Olympics when his clocking of 2:03.06 in the 200m IM met the Olympic qualifying time of 2:05.65.

The 23-year-old Molina, who trains at the University of California in Barkley, hopes to improve on his silver medal finish in the 200m freestyle in 2005 and contend for the gold in the 100m and 50m freestyles in what could be his last SEAG stint.

Molina now owns the RP mark in the 100m free (51.11) 200m free (1:52.67) and 50m breaststroke (29.44).

Arabejo, at 17 the present and future hope of Philippine swimming, holds the RP mark in the 400m freestyle (3:58.51) and 1,500m freestyle (15:39.86) from his stints in the Janet Evans Invitational in the US last July and the 12th World Championships last March.

Four Fil-Americans on the team are 20-year-old James Walsh, a pre-med scholar at the University of Florida; Daniel Coakley of the University of Hawaii, Jaclyn Pangilinan of Harvard University in Boston, and Erica Totten of the University of Arkansas.

Walsh established the RP mark in the 100m and 200m butterfly in the Conoco Philips USA competition in July this year. Pangilinan holds the national 50, 100 and 200m breaststroke records.

Totten, who also holds the RP mark in the 400IM from the last SEA Games, made huge inroads this year, setting new RP norms in the 200, 400 and 800m freestyle. Coakley, a promising swimmer at 18, made the grade with his impressive finish in the 50 and 100m breaststroke and freestyle in last year’s World Junior championships.

But the presence of world-class competition is making it hard for RP swimming president Mark Joseph to assure the certainty of even one gold.

“It’s really hard to predict. But what we’re looking for is to beat our four-gold medal haul the last time in Manila,” said Joseph.

“Swimming in the region has taken a quantum leap with the standard A time for the Athens Olympics now being just the B time for the Beijing Olympics qualifying.

All the swimmers are trying to improve and that really makes it hard to win the gold medal in this SEA Games,” Joseph explained.

“It could be easier to gain an Olympic berth than to win the gold medal here.”

Gold medals in women’s 100m freestyle, men’s and women’s 200m backstroke, men’s 400m individual medley, women’s 200m individual medley, men’s and women’s 4x200m freestyle relay are up for grabs on opening day here tomorrow.

Two US coaches in Jeff Poppel of University of Arkansas and Jason Calanog of Bolles flew here with the six US collegiate swimming scholars.

“They’re (Poppel and Calanog) familiar with the conditioning of our US-based swimmers. So we asked them to come,” said Joseph.

Molina has qualified for the Olympics in 200m IM, Walsh in 200m butterfly and Arabejo in 1500m freestyle. The three will target for more Olympic events here aside from shooting for SEAG medals.

“Molina and Arabejo are now ranked 24th in the world in their respective events. They’ll try to improve on that,” said Joseph.

Completing the cast are Ernest Dee of La Salle, Kendrick Uy who joined Arabejo in summer training at Bolles School in Florida under the Olympic Solidarity Movement, Denjylie Cordero, a product of the Philippine Olympic Festival, 18-year-old Marichi Gandionco, a swimming scholar at the University of Nevada, Celina Gonzalez of TRACE Aquatic Center in Laguna., Nikita Dacera and Nicole Santiago.

Ronald Guiriba, 20, holdover from the last SEA Games, is a doubtful starter as he injured his middle finger in a cycling accident recently.