PH wins 16 swimming medals, including 2 golds

PHNOM PENH – The Philippine national swimming team bagged a total of 16 medals, highlighted by two golds, in this year’s 32nd Southeast Asian Games at the Aquatics Center of the Morodok Techo National Sports Complex here.

Xiandi Chua (women’s 200-meter backstroke) and rookie campaigner Teia Salvino (women’s 100m backstroke) won a gold medal each, making it the Filipinos’ best gold medal haul since the four-gold medal finish in the 2009 SEA Games in Vientiane, Laos.

The two also set new national and SEA Games records, with Chua clocking two minutes and 13.20 seconds in the women’s 200m backstroke and Salvino clocking 1:01.64 minutes in the women’s backstroke.

Jerard Jacinto settled for a silver medal in the men’s 50m backstroke as well as Jasmine Alkhaldi (women’s 100m freestyle), Chloe Isleta (women’s 200m backstroke), the 4x100m freestyle relay team of Alkhaldi, Salvino, Chua and Miranda Renner, the 4x100m medley relay team of Salvino, Renner, Alkhaldi and Angelyn Cacho and the 4x100m mixed medley relay team of Jacinto, Cacho, Alkhaldi and Jarod Hatch, making it a total of six silver medals.

Hatch picked up two more bronze medals in the men’s 50m and 100m butterfly events, with Jacinto also picking up a bronze medal in the men’s 100m backstroke.

In women’s action, Alkhaldi won more bronze medals in the women’s 50m and 100m butterfly events with Salvino getting another bronze medal in the women’s 50m backstroke.

Alkhaldi, Salvino, Chua and Isleta capped off the bronze medal count at eight after getting into the podium in the women’s 4x200m freestyle relay. (PNA)