4 minute read
Dana Carreon
WRITTEN BY NEAL R. BELTRAN
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THROUGHOUT HER swimming career, Dara Carreon (4 BS HSc) has epitomized excellence, winning medal after medal both locally and internationally from her youth until her first two years in Ateneo. While her time representing Ateneo in college was cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic, Dara can look back at her time in the pool fondly as she always gave her best effort and won every time she competed.
THE OPENING STRETCH
During her youth, Dara started swimming to strengthen her lungs in her battle against asthma. “Before, I was really sickly and I had a hard time breathing doing the most basic physical activities but through swimming, I was able to get more freedom in what I could do which made me interested in it,” she shares. However, Dara’s motivation for swimming truly burgeoned when she began to play competitively as it helped her relax from rigorous classwork.
As Dara’s passion for swimming grew, her performance in the pool also reached new heights as she racked up multiple awards throughout her high school career. Over the course of Palarong Pambansa 2013 and 2015, Dara garnered a total of seven medals—three gold, three silver, and one bronze.
She also went on to participate in competitions abroad. Most notably, Dara’s best performance came in the 2017 Hong Kong Mantas Swimming Competition as she clinched two gold medals, a bronze medal, and a record-breaking time in the women’s 50m breaststroke.
With Dara enjoying success both locally and internationally, Dara was heavily recruited by various schools in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP). Dara ultimately picked Ateneo. “I chose Ateneo because they were more supportive in terms of their sports program,” she expresses.
MAKING THE JUMP
Dara joined the Fast Ateneo Swimming Team (FAST) in UAAP Season 81 and became an immediate contributor to their second straight title. Her run was highlighted by winning a gold medal and ending the University of the Philippines’ decade-long reign in the women’s 50m breaststroke. She also snagged a bronze medal in the 100m breaststroke. Dara’s name was then cemented in history as she was awarded the Rookie of the Year of UAAP Season 81.
For Dara, winning a championship and Rookie of the Year were her way of returning the favor. “It was gratifying because all the hard work came to fruition and because I was able to give back to Ateneo and to Coach Archie [Lim] for giving me a scholarship,” she shares.
Following her success in UAAP Season 81, Dara entered UAAP Season 82 with momentum on her side, primed to haul in more medals for FAST. Through the four-day competition, Dara joined forces with her teammates to secure a gold medal in the 200m Medley Relay and a silver medal in the 4x50m Freestyle relay. The two medals were part of the 458-point tally by FAST, decisively completing their campaign for a three-peat.
By providing steady contributions to FAST in winning their second and third straight crowns, Dara looked to help extend their dominance in the UAAP through the last two years of her college career. However, the restrictions brought by the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic cast doubt on the future of Dara and FAST.
The uncertainty of whether the UAAP will hold a season during the COVID-19 pandemic was also difficult for Dara as it hampered FAST’s UAAP preparations. Unfortunately, the UAAP opted to cancel UAAP Season 83 and exclude Swimming from the competitions held in UAAP Season 84, prematurely ending Dara’s swimming career. She adds, “I felt so frustrated because I was training until last February and I realized that I wouldn’t be able to swim at all for Ateneo in the UAAP anymore.”
EXITING THE POOL
With her swimming career coming to an abrupt end, Dara feels bittersweet as she is thankful to Ateneo but also disappointed that she couldn’t represent the school throughout her college life. “I’m really grateful that they gave me this opportunity but it’s sad that I wasn’t able to play for Ateneo knowing that I was under scholarship for four years, but swimming for only two years.”
While being unable to compete for the last two years has been frustrating, she walks away knowing that she did everything she could to do so. “There’s always a question of ‘What if the pandemic didn’t hit?’ but then since it was out of my control, I’m at peace knowing that I’m done with my swimming career,” she states.
As she leaves her swimming career behind, Dara is now opening new doors—starting by graduating with a degree in Health Science with Latin honors. Moreover, Dara is transitioning to her next journey, which is to enroll in the Ateneo School of Medicine and Public Health to become the first doctor in her family.
