Lacuna rips Buhain's 20-year swim mark

MANILA, Philippines - Jhessie King Lacuna made waves in the National Short Course Championships at the Trace Aquatic Center in Los Baños, Laguna yesterday when he broke a 20-year-old age-group record of former SEA Games top athlete Eric Buhain.

The 16-year-old Lacuna, a product of the Philippine Amateur Swimming Association’s Center for Excellence Program, clocked 1:50.47 in the 200m freestyle and broke Buhain’s record of 1:56.81 that was established two decades ago.

Buhain became one of the great swimmers the country ever produced. In the 1991 SEA Manila Games he won five gold medals (100m freestyle, 100m and 200m butterfly, 400m IM and 4x100m medley) and was named Best Athlete.

Lacuna, according to PASA president Mark Joseph, is following Buhain’s footsteps, and in the Laos SEA Games from Dec. 9 to 18 the native of Bulacan will be tested once more against the finest swimmers from the region.

Lacuna’s new age-group (15-17) record is just a second off the new Philippine record set by Miguel Molina in the Asian Indoor Games in Vietnam earlier this month. Molina won four golds in the 2007 SEA Games in Thailand and was also named its Best Athlete.

“His time is about a second shy of Molina’s RP record set in Hanoi earlier this month. And to think that Jhessie is only 16,” said coach Pinky Brosas of Lacuna who said he was inspired by his inclusion to the RP Team to Laos.

Joseph said in Laos, Lacuna will compete in the 200m freestyle with Molina, 4x200m freestyle relay along with Molina, Ryan Arabejo and Charles Walker, 400m free with Molina and 400m freestyle with Arabejo. – Abac Cordero