Athletes from Borongan City bagged the 2nd and 3rd places, while other team members made it into the Top 10 rankings, surpassing over 60 swimmers from across the country at this year’s Swimjunkie Challenge Open Water Nationals held in Caramoan Island, Camarines Sur.
“Our athletes have delivered outstanding results… This marks a historic moment as it’s their first participation in a national open water swimming event, and they had only two months of rigorous training before the competition,” said Borongan City Information Officer Rupert Ambil II, as he proudly introduced Borongan City and Eastern Samar’s first Open Water Swim Team on Sunday, October 8.
In the Overall 2-kilometer Race Category, Mark Mabao Abogado secured the second spot, while Makmak Lebrilla claimed the 3rd spot.
In the Under 29 Age Group – 2-Kilometer Category, Brean June Oyo clinched the 2nd position, with Joeliver Turtal Casipong Jr. taking the 3rd place.
Clark John Yoseres achieved the 3rd position in the Under 19 Age Group – 2-Kilometer Category, while Emmanuel Celajes and Jan Cyril Celada made it into the Top 10 in the Under 29 Age Group Category.
Ambil II said that National Head Coach Betsy Medalla had acknowledged the “remarkable achievements” of the Borongan swimmers during the event, emphasizing that they are the “team to watch in future competitions.”
“Their exceptional performance earned them the unique distinction of being the only team recognized on stage. This recognition is especially significant as they were competing for the first time and had just commenced their training program in July,” Ambil II added.
Borongan City was the sole local government unit that represented the Eastern Visayas region in the prestigious swimming competition.
I Photo by Rupert Ambil II via Ronald O. Reyes/Sunstar Philippines
