Yu delivers Philippine tankers' first SEAG medal

KUALA LUMPUR – Roxanne Yu broke the ice for Filipino swimmers as she bagged the bronze medal in the women’s 200-meter backstroke event of the 29th Southeast Asian Games swimming competition Tuesday night at the National Aquatic Center in KL Sports City here.

Yu tried to keep pace stroke for stroke with Vietnamese ace Nguyen Thi Anh in the early going but couldn’t sustain the pace and wound third in a time of two minutes and 19.98 seconds, the same place she got in the Singapore edition two years ago.

Nguyen clocked 2:13.64 for her second gold in as many events while Indonesia’s Yessey Venesia Yossa slipped past the Filipino tanker in the last 10 meters checked in 2:18.19.

Filipino-American newcomer Nicole Marie Oliva tried the same tactic with the Vietnamese phenom but just like Yu was swallowed up in Nguyen’s wake, languishing in sixth place in 4:22.35 to the former’s awesome winning time of 4:10.96, a new SEA Games record.

Two-time Olympian Jessie King Lacuna continued his misery at the pool in winding up sixth in the men’s 200-meter butterfly in 2:01.73.

But the country could be looking for its first gold in swimming as fellow Olympian Jessie Alkhaldi ruled the women’s freestyle heats in a time of 56.73 seconds, towing Oliva, who clocked 57.89 second, into the finals scheduled at 7:05 p.m. Wednesday night. 

The Fil-Saudi will be trying to break a gold-medal drought in the regional meet dating back to the 2013 Myanmar SEA Games when her 100-meter freestyle victory was nullified due to a false start by Thailand’s Natthanan Jungkaranjang, who, ironically, eventually took the gold during the re-swim.

Alkhaldi could finally have her revenge against the Thai, who also qualified in the 100-meter freestyle finals here in a time of 57.20 seconds.