Ten-year-old dominates PSL swim meet

MANILA, Philippines - Ten-year-old Kyle Libat swept all his four events in golden fashion and led all winners in the 26th leg of the Philippine Swimming League Circuit which drew a record 500 swimmers recently at the Diliman Preparatory School in Fairview, Quezon City.

Libat, a Lipa Public School student who is coached by Emil Amago of the Lipa Mediatrix Swim Club, won in the 50m freestyle (32 seconds), 50m butterfly (35 sec), 50m breaststroke (45 sec) and 50m backstroke (38 sec) to become the winningest swimmer among boys in the competition hosted by the DPS under its president and chief executive officer and former Sen. Nikki Coseteng.

The 26th leg, part of the continuing talent identification program of the PSL under president Susan Papa and the DPS under Coseteng, is dubbed the PSL-DPS Motivational Swimming Championship, which recognizes winners who achieve the norms – from A to quadruple A – of the US motivational standard for each event.

Nine-year-old Bhay Newberry, protégé of Emer Matienzo of the Bosay Swim Club, emerged the most bemedalled swimmer in the girls section with her triumphs in the 50m freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke and butterfly.

Coseteng’s DPS swimmers – Ralph Kevin Claveria, Saavedra sisters (Mary Angelic, Louise and Aimee), Portia, Sam and Carlos Doragos, Kyle Mendoza, Franz Joves, Hunter Pascua and Noemi Corpuz also won gold medals.

Papa said she was overwhelmed by the number of participants and announced a big delegation bound for Singapore this July to further hone outstanding swimmers’ skills.

PSL technical director Edgardo Galeno, who supervised swimming competitions in the Palarong Pambansa for the PSL, also announced the qualified swimmers for the forthcoming ASEAN School Games to be held in Indonesia. Topping the list are Palaro multiple gold medalists Axel Ngui and Catherine Bondad.