FUZHOU, China – UAAP stalwart Claire Adorna and Emmanuel Joshua Lorbes garnered three gold medals to lead the Philippine Swim League’s stint in the three-day Fujian-Philippines Swimming Youth Goodwill Exchange Games yesterday in this historic city of China.
Adorna, from the University of the Philippines, won the gold in the 50m freestyle in 27 seconds and the 50m butterfly in 30 seconds, and finished third in the 400m freestyle in 4:43.00.
“I didn’t want to be intimidated by the much taller Chinese swimmers and just went all out,” said Adorna.
Lorbes, competing in the 11-14 category, outswam her Chinese counterparts with a winning time of 28.10 in the 50m butterfly.
“The water is cold so I just swam as fast as I could and eventually got the gold. My competitors were so tall,” said Lorbes.
The meet was made possible by International Cultural Exchange and Economic Affairs director Liu Cheng Sheng and National People’s Congress Vice-President Mr. Song.
During the opening ceremonies, former Sen. Nikki Coseteng thanked the hosts for inviting the PSL to represent the Philippines in the goodwill meet.
“We thank China for hosting this meet for the first time. This is truly an unforgettable experience for the lives of competing Filipino swimmers,” said Coseteng, who traces her ancestry to Xiamen City. “Competing with the very best swimmers in the historic city of Fuzhou makes us very proud and excited as this allowed us to meet friends we will treasure always.”
Paula Cayanan, 13, clocked 28.58 in the 50m freestyle to finish a strong second among bigger Chinese swimmers.
Other medal winners were Gian Berino (silver) and Christian Dimaculangan (bronze).
“I am very happy that our PSL swimmers and coaches were given a chance to witness the great development of China swimmers,” PSL president Susan Papa said.