Guerrero cops 2nd gold in RP tryouts

Jenny Rose Guerrero enhanced her comeback bid for the Southeast Asian Games with a second gold medal, topping the 100-meter breaststroke in yesterday’s Bank of Commerce National Tryouts at the Rizal pool.

But Guerrero, 21, who trained for three months in China, could only clock one minute and 18.75 seconds, a far cry from her best time that netted a silver medal in the 2001 Kuala Lumpur Southeast Asian Games.

"I know I can still come up with a better swim come the SEA Games," said Guerrero, whose international stints include the 2000 Sydney Olympics and the 2002 Busan Asian Games.

"Medyo pagod pa siguro kami from our three-month training in China," she added.

Representing University of the Philippines, Guerrero will also see action in the 200-m breaststroke tomorrow and the 400-m IM on Saturday.

"Hopefully, I can top both events and come up with a better swim, particularly the 400-m IM, an event I started to like when I was in China," said Guerrero, who saw very little action the past three years.

Part of Guerrero’s goal is winning her first ever gold medal in the 23rd SEA Games edition slated Nov. 27-Dec. 5 in the country.

"I want to prove that I can still swim, but that’s only secondary. My main goal is to give the country a gold medal in the SEA Games," said Guerrero, who took a silver and three bronze medals in 2001 and a bronze medal in the 2003 Hanoi edition but never a gold.

Other Day 2 winners were Kendrick Uy (100-m freestyle), Timmy Chua (100-m breast), Marichi Gandionco (400-m freestyle) and Benjie Uy (200-m IM).

The five-day event, organized by Philippine Amateur Swimming Association president Mark Joseph, is part of a series of elimination for the national team members competing in the biennial meet.