Molina, Simms reset RP marks

By Riera Mallari

BEIJING—In their own little world—away from the glitz and glare being accorded Michael “The Aquaman” Phelps—Filipino swimmers Miguel Molina and Christel Simms are rejoicing after swimming to Philippine records Wednesday night in the 29th Olympic Games at the Water Cube.

“This is a great night for Philippine swimming. Two new RP records,” said swimming president Mark Joseph after Molina and Simms reset their own national marks. Molina, the 2007 Southeast Asian Games best male athlete with four gold medals, timed two minutes and 1.61 seconds in finishing second in his men’s 200-meter individual medley heat, shattering his own record of 2:03.22.

Simms clocked 56.67 in the women’s 100-meter freestyle, good for third in her heat, to also rip her Philippine record of 57.17. Counting JB Walsh’s clocking in the 200-meter butterfly Monday night, and Daniel Coakley’s 22.69 in the 50-meter freestyle last night—both the new standards in the SEA Games— that’s four new RP swimming records and two SEAG marks in three days.

But Molina’s clocking was way off the 1:57.70 Phelps registered in Thursday morning’s semi-finals, and so was Simms’ in her event, which Fil-American Nathalie Coughlin ruled with 53.70 also during Thursday’s semi-finals.

The 16-year-old Simms aims for her second record when she swims in the 50-meter freestyle heats, even as the Philippines’ fifth and last swimmer here in Ryan Arabejo debuts in the Olympics at 6:57 p.m. in the 1,500-meter preliminaries, while diver Sheila Mae Perez tries her luck in the prelims of the women’s 3-m springboard.

Arabejo’s personal best of 15:39.86 is almost a minute behind the 14:48.65 of Australian Grant Hackett, the defending champion seeking to become the first swimmer in 104 years to win this event in three Olympiads.

Another Pinoy given a slim chance is Perez, who competes world’s no. 1 Guo Jingjing and Wu Minxia, the latest in a long line of awesome divers, who have given the host 20-of-32 gold medals since competing in the 1984 Atlanta Games.

This is Perez’s second Olympics, having competed in Sydney with a forgettable result. She finished 32nd in a field of 56, a dismal showing that would soon be forgotten after winning three gold medals as one of the spearheads in RP’s triumphant overall campaign in the 2005 SEA Games in Manila.

“They’ll all go out there and give their best. We know how hard it is to win in the Olympics. Sheila Mae, Christel and Ryan are all giving their best shot, and I am very sure of that,” said Chef de Mission Monico Puentevella.

Yet to see action aside from Arabejo and Perez are taekwondo jins Mary Antoinette Rivero and Tshomlee Go, long jumpers Marestella Torres and Henry Dagmil and diver Rexel Fabriga.

Dagmil and Torres, who made it to the Olympics after they were accorded compulsory entries by the International Association of Athletics Federations, will be seeking to improve on their personal bests, and hopefully, qualify in their respective finals at the Bird’s Nest.

A US-trained SEA Games record holder, Dagmil will try to better his best jump of 7.99 meters against opponents, who have been leaping to 8.0 meters or more. The world record stands at 9.99 meters, almost a meter longer than what the Filipino is capable of. “If I do 8.20 then I could perhaps reach the finals,” he said. “In long jump, a push here and a flex there, could help you pull off surprises.”

Torres will be doing the same on Tuesday—try to better her 6.63 meters in a star-studded field.