Laguna kid makes waves in age-group swimming

BACOLOD — This Laguna kid could well be the country’s next important swimming star.

Lake City Swim Club’s Banjo Borja displayed great potential to hit it big in the swimming scene someday as he dominated the sixth Philippine national age-group championships at the Panaad Sports Stadium here.

An incoming freshman at the Liceo San Pablo in San Pablo, Laguna, Borja ruled nine events, five of them with clockings surpassing the Category 1 time for the national training team.

Vietnam Games silver medalist Marichi Gandiongco, Denjylie Cordero, Marielle Infantado and Testa Dana Mae emerged the outstanding girls in the three-day meet which also served as part of the tryout for the Philippine team to be sent to the Asean age-group championships in Brunei in June.

Already standing 5-foot-2 only at 12, Borja capped his swashbuckling performance in this swimfest with a four-gold haul Saturday to the amazement of a huge cheering crowd at the Panaad pool.

What made his showing more remarkable was the fact that he surpassed Category 1 time in three events — 12-under 400m IM, 50m backstroke and 200m fly. Category 1 was the silver medal-winning time in the last Asean age-group championships.

The youngest of three swimming siblings, Borja was most impressive in the 400m IM where he clocked 5:10.01, besting the 5:17.09 top criteria.

He made it four-of-four by topping the 100m freestyle although he failed to hit the 58.50 highest standard.

Gandiongco, a member of the 4x200m freestyle team that placed second in the Vietnam SEAG in 2003, hit Category A time in four events to gain the distinction as the most outstanding swimmer in the girls’ 15-17 group.

She was way ahead of the Category 1 time (9:43.39) in 800m freestyle, touching the pad at 9:29.91.

A sour note in her campaign was an upset at the hands of Chrizel Lagunday for the gold medal in 200m freestyle.

At second, the Alabang bet, however, also bested the Category 1 time of 2:10.16 with a clocking of 2:10.09 as against Lagunday’s 2:09.91.

Those who didn’t make the criteria can still gain inclusion in the national team if they rank among the top 2 in the country and can break the fifth best time in the SEA age-group championships, according to swimming president Mark Joseph.

Ryan Arabejo, Gerard Bordado, Ferdinand Frigillana, Carmina Mari Quilala, Johanssen Aguilar, Nikita Dacera, Edzen Dinglasan, Ernest Dee, Liane Marie Marquez and Christian Miguel were among others who hit the qualifying standard and, thus, gained automatic slots to the Asean joust.