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Photo: Xiandi Chua (center) with Philippine Aquatics Secretary General Batangas 1st District Rep. Eric Buhain (left) and personal trainer former National mentor Pinky Brosas.
Hangzhou – Filipino swimmers remained on hot pursuit for their first medal here, but Australian-trained Xiandi Chua put some semblance of triumph as she broke her own Philippine record, then helped the PH quartet establish a new Philippine mark in the relay event at the 19th Asian Games.
The 21-year-old Chua finished eight in the 200m Individual Medley Finals clocking two minutes and 16.18 seconds but broke the Philippine mark she established (2:17.02) at the Cambodia Southeast Asian Games last May.
Actually, the La Salle student under the wings of former National mentor Pinky Brosas, first broke the said mark during the qualifying heat with a time of 2:16.43.
“At least in this event, I didn’t expect the record because we’re focusing on the 200m back and the 400IM. Of course, I love to establish Philippine records and it shocked me as well,” said Chua, the 200m backstroke (2:13.20) SEA Games record holder.
Chua with another SEA Games record holder Fil-Am Tiea Salvino (100m back, 1:01.64), veteran internationalist Jasmine Alkhaldi and Tokyo Olympics relay medalist Fil-Canadian Kayla Sanchez couldn’t keep up with their faster rivals and placed fifth overall in the 4x100m freestyle finals, clocking 3:44.31.
However, the quartet still managed to post a new Philippine record, smashing the previous national mark of 3:47.05, with Sanchez also setting a new national record in the women’s 100m freestyle of 54.71 seconds during her split.
“I’m incredibly proud. I would like to say this is the new era of my career and to start with a new national record is very exciting. I can’t wait to improve more in the future,” Sanchez said.
The Philippine quartet is just 0.15 seconds behind their Southeast Asian rival Singapore who clocked 3:44.16 good for fourth, in a race dominated by China which posted a game-record time of 3:33.96.
Sanchez, who won Olympic medals under the Canadian flag changed her affiliation under the Philippines last year, then swam her first individual race in the Asiad Monday night, finishing sixth in the finals of the women’s 50m backstroke in 28.66 seconds, faster than her qualifying time of 28.86.
Meanwhile, Jerard Dominic Jacinto and Jarold Jason Hatch failed to advance to the finals of their respective events. Jacinto placed 5th in heat 4 of the men’s 50m backstroke in 26.14 seconds while Hatch was the slowest in heat 5 of the men’s 50m freestyle with a clocking of 23.77 seconds.
Isleta failed to make the finals of the women’s 200m IM, after finishing fourth in her heat in 2:20.54.
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