National Open at Clark's Aquatics Center

Local players and invited Fil-foreign swimmers are the first group to perform at our new world-class Aquatics Center in New Clark City in Capas, Tarlac before hosting the 30th Southeast Asian Games in November.

Philippine Swimming Inc. announced (PSI) president Lani Velasco said Friday that the Philippine SEA Games Organizing Committee (PHISGOC) has authorized them to use the facility for the Philippine National Open in August. 31 to Sept. 3.

The tournament will serve as the final qualifying event for the selection of athletes who will form the Philippine Team to compete in the SEA Games.

SEAG veterans Jessie Lacuna and Jasmine Alkailde will lead the swimming hopefuls who will attempt to give a gold medal to Team Philippines for the first time after several editions of the biennial meet.

Overseas recruiters Jimmy Deiparine, Luke Gebbie, Thomas Peregrina, Jerard Jacinto, Remedy Rule and Georgia Peregrina, as well as training pools Rosalee Mira Santa Ana, Roxanne Ashley Yu and Chloe Isleta, also confirmed.

The up-and-coming Nationals will be led by age-group internationalist Micaela Jasmine Mojdeh and her European swimmers Jules Mirandilla, Jordan Ken Lobos, Marcus De Kam, John Neil Paderes, and Yohan Cabana.

13-year-old Mojdeh, a freshman at Brent International, was the only Pinay to win a gold medal in the Team Philippines campaign at the HongKong Open a week ago.

National junior record holder won the women's 200-meter butterfly in 2: 20.01 against veteran contender Rosalee Mira Santa Ana (2: 20.06) and SEA Games campaigner Sounthourchoke Supasuta of Thailand (2: 20.91) in the finals bid.

Based on the PSI regulations released, the two swimmers will be leading their respective events and will surely be on the RP Team at SEAG.

Swimming was the last gold medalist at the SEA Games in the 2001 edition of Laos from Fil-Am Miguel Molina. Nick Guingco.