UP tanker dons Phl colors in Xiamen, Shanghai meet

MANILA, Philippines - Nineteen-year-old swimming ace Ma. Claire Adorna of the University of the Philippines will carry the country’s colors in a goodwill swim meet slated Nov. 3-4 in Xiamen, China and Shanghai on Nov. 10.

In an interview, Philippine Swimming League (PSL) president Susan Papa said Adorna was selected after dominating her events in the recent University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) swimming meet at the Trace College in Los Baños, Laguna.

Adorna is a product of the privately-funded PSL development program powered by the University of the Philippines pool sharks, Diliman Preparatory School (DPS) and PSL campaigners who bested their Philippine Aquatics Sports Association (PASA)-affiliated counterparts in dominating the recent UAAP competitions.

Papa said Adorna won four gold medals as the UP pool sharks romped off with the overall championship in the women’s side of the UAAP meet.

During the meet, Adorna bested members of PASA’s national training pool in all her gold-medal rampage in the 200-meter freestyle, 50-meter backstroke, 100-meter backstroke and the 50-meter freestyle.

The dusky, 5-foot-8 stunner from Marikina City, in fact, broke the UAAP record in winning the 100-backstroke in a fast one minute, 05.45 seconds that could have qualified her for the First Southeast Asian Swimming championships held in Singapore before last year’s Olympic Games.

Like the fate suffered by her teammates at PSL, PASA, the entity recognized by the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC), did not allow her to participate in the prestigious event.

“Sayang nga po, kasi feeling ko I can give a good account of myself and do our country proud had I been given permission to compete,” the UP foreign language sophomore and second of third children of Paul and Juanita Adorna lamented during last Friday’s SCOOP session at the Kamayan Restaurant on Padre Faura, Manila.

In her march to victory in the century backstroke, Adorna survived the challenge put up by PASA pool members Keizia Elise Sarmiento and Ana Celina Gonzales, both of Ateneo, who could only settle for a bronze and fourth place finishes, respectively.

Adorna’s PSL teammate Jacklyn Junio made it a 1-2 gold-silver finish for UP in the event.

Adorna completed her domination of Sarmiento and Gonzales in the 50m backstroke even as she also stashed away the gold medals in the 50m freestyle and the 200m freestyle both at the expense of other PASA tankers Jasmine Ong and Kim Uy.

Aside from Adorna, sharing the honors were Delia Angela Cordero who snatched the MVP honors in the women’s senior division and Pricila Aquino in the junior girls category.

Besides crowning herself the MVP in the women’s play, Cordero was also adjudged the Rookie of the Year on the strength of her smashing triumphs in the 400m individual medley, 200m butterfly, 200m individual medley, 400m freestyle and 100m butterfly.

On the other hand, Aquino, only in her early teens, showed a lot of promise by annexing the MVP honors in the girls junior class, gifting UP the gold medals in the 50m butterfly, 400m individual medley, 200m individual medley, 800m freestyle and 400m freestyle.

Other DPS-PSL stalwarts who shone for UP were Tiara Beboney Tudio, who swept the women’s 50-m, 100-m and 200-m breaststroke; and junior campaigner Joy Rodgers, winner of the girls’ 50-meter, 100-meter and 200-meter breaststroke, also in sweeping fashion.