Ong makes grade for Youth Olympics

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippines will have a fourth swimmer in the 2010 Youth Olympic Games after Dorothy Ong met the qualifying time in the girls’ 100-meter backstroke the other day.

The 17-year-old Ong clocked one minute 06.27 seconds during the National Long Course Championships in Los Baños, Laguna, this week and made it to the YOG.

The YOG qualifying time in the girls’ 100m backstroke is 1:07.05. The YOG will be staged in August next year in Singapore, which hosted the first Asian Youth Games earlier this month.

Filipino swimmers already assured of slots to the YOG are Jessie King Lacuna in the boys’ 100m freestyle (53.35) and 200m freestyle (1:56.89,) Jasmine Alkhaldi in the girls’ 100m free (59.87) and Banjo Borja in the boys’ 200m individual medley (2:11.60).