FOUR promising junior swimmers led by Kail Dominic Kahulugan and Gideon Ancheta won multiple gold medals as Noel Celwyn Cartera and Adriana Yulo sparkled in the senior and special child divisions Saturday in the FINIS Long Course National Championships at the New Clark Aquatic Center in Capas, Tarlac.
The six-year-old Kahulugan of KLW Swim Team swept his five events—the 50 meters freestyle in 49.57 seconds, 100m breaststroke (2:26.05), 200m individual medley (4:20.90), 100m butterfly (2:06.00) and 50m backstroke (57.62).
Ancheta matched Kahulugan’s dominance in the boys 7 years old class’s 200m individual medley (3:43.71), 100m fly (2:02.42), 50m back (52.30), 100m breast (2:05.56) and 50m free (42.40) assuring themselves of the Most Outstanding Swimmer (MOS) Awards at the culmination of FINIS Philippines’ 2022 programs and activities.
“Let me assure all Filipino swimmers that FINIS will do its best to provide the right platform in their quest for sports excellence,” FINIS Philippines Managing Director Vince Garcia said. “For as long as there are swimmers, there’ll always be FINIS tournaments.”
“Next year, we’re planning much bigger tournaments,” said Garcia, adding that FINIS will expand its program not just for regular swimmers but also for people with disabilities and children needing special attention.
Garcia referred to Cartera and Jarreth Dean Henthorne—both born with Moderate Autism with Severe mental/intellectual Disability—who made their marks in the boys 19-over with Cartera collecting five gold medals in the 50m free (27.54), 200m IM (2:38.45), 100m fly (1:10.38), 50m back (33.37) and 100m breast (1:26.17).
Henthorne finished second in 200m IM (4:39.89) and claimed bronze in the 100m fly (2:28.13), 100m breast (2:42.02), 50m free (44.88) and 50m back (50.61). He collected eight silver medals in the Luzon leg of the series last December 3.
Cartera, a Grade 12 student at the Colegio del Sagrado Corazon de Jesus in Iloilo City, is part of a team that will participate in the International Autism Challenge in Germany in June next year.
Yulo of JBL Swim Club flourished in the girls 19-over by winning the 50m free (30.34), 200m IM (2:50.77), 100m fly (1:23.36), 50m back (37.63) and 100m breast (1:26.26).
Also winning multiple medals were Trixie Ortiguerra with four gold medals in the girls’ 15-16—golds in 50m free (28.86), 200m IM (2:43.28), 100m fly (1:15.45) and 50m back (32.30) and bronze in 100m breast (1:31.92), as well as Theodore Tanpinco in the boys 9-10—100m breast (1:43.33), 200m IM (3:19.11) and 50m back (45.14).