PSL tankers bag 4 golds in Tokyo age group meet

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine Swimming League (PSL) pocketed four gold medals in a blazing performance highlighted with Micaela Jasmine Mojdeh’s record-breaking feats at the start of  the 2016 Buccaneer Invitational Swimming Championship at the St. Mary’s International School swimming pool yesterday in Tokyo, Japan.

Mojdeh, an Immaculate Heart of Mary College-Parañaque standout, registered two minutes, 44.23 seconds in the girls’ 9-10 200m individual medley, smashing the 13-year-old mark of 2:50.65 of England’s Irene Kershaw on April 20, 2003.

Mojdeh also secured a silver in the 100m freestyle with a time of 1:10.49 and will be gunning for more gold medals in the 50m butterfly and 100m butterfly events scheduled today.

Hope Christian School-Legazpi’s Trump Christian Luistro also shared the spotlight as he claimed two gold medals in the boys’ 8-under class. He ruled the 25m freestyle in 17.31 seconds then followed it up with another mint in the 50m breaststroke via a 47.66-second showing.

Rio Lorenzo Malapitan of Divine Word College-Calapan bagged the country’s fourth gold by dominating the boys’ 11-12 100m breaststroke in 1:18.26 before settling for bronze in the 200m IM (2:38.22).

Winning silver medals were Diliman Preparatory School standout Paul Christian King Cusing in boys’ 15-18 400m IM (5:09.32) and 200m breaststroke (2:40.42), Kyla Soguilon of Sun Yat Sen School-Kalibo in girls’ 11-12 200m IM (2:39.37) and 100m backstroke (1:11.32), Marc Bryan Dula of Weisenheimer Academy in boys’ 9-10 100m backstroke (1:24.19), and Tiffany Shaine Sanchez in girls’ 9-10 100m backstroke (1:33.09).

The bronzes were from Lowestein Julian Lazaro (boys’ 13-14 100m freestyle, 1:02.60), Lee Grant Cabral (boys’ 9-10 200m IM, 2:53.71), Lucio Cuyong (boys’ 13-14 200m breaststroke, 2:49.67), Diane Fabicon (girls’ 15-18 200m breaststroke, 3:26.89), and Dula (100m breaststroke, 1:39.37).

“It’s a good start for us. This competition is one of the toughest meets that we’re joining and we’re happy that our swimmers are delivering medals,”said PSL president Susan Papa.

Seeing action on the second day of competition are Paula Carmela Cusing, Felice Alexis Reyes, Angelo Macaraig, Albert Sermonia 2nd, Triza Haileyana Tabamo, Julyiana Cassiopea Calibjo, Shyne Villagomeza, Zachie Gallegos, Jairus Laguindao, Edgar Danzel Roberto, Remogenes Sobretodo and John Rylle Villagomeza.

Besides Papa, the other members of the delegation are PSL secretary general and international affairs director Maria Susan Benasa, NCR regional director Joan Mojdeh, and coaches Alex Papa and Jeffrey Medrano.