Ben Madilynn
Joining the three Dabawenyos in the team are Graciella Sophia Reyes Ato, Athena Shannessa Chang, Athea Margarette Capitan Lagunay, Hannah Drelyn Isla Sanchez, and Roy Angelo Ardion Rodriguez.
Labanon, a Grade 12 Mapua Malayan Colleges Mindanao (MMCM) student, said: “I’m very happy and felt more determined. I can represent the Philippines again but this time, in the open water competition.”
He said the Hong Kong meet will be his first international open-water swimming competition abroad, although he first saw action in the
Britania İnternational Island Swim in San Augustin, Surigao del Sur, where he clinched the 8K and 5.8K four-island swim titles. Pro swimmers from Spain, Italy, the UK, India, Ireland, India, Ireland and Russia competed in Britania.
Labanon collected four gold medals, one silver, and two bronzes in the Palarong Pambansa 2024 in Cebu City.
Vibar, a 21-year-old BS Home Economics fourth-year student at the University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman, said, “I feel very proud and blessed po to have qualified and have the opportunity to represent the country once again after a long slump. Very emotional for me and it gave me more motivation to train even harder.”
He noted that the biggest challenge he faces is navigation in the water. He often finds himself off course, leading to longer swims due to his chosen route. This is an area he plans to focus on as he prepares for the upcoming meeting. Additionally, the sea conditions greatly impact his pace and overall time.
Despite these uncontrollable factors, Vibar is determined to train rigorously to overcome any waves and currents he encounters in Hong Kong.
He acknowledged that open-water swimming is undoubtedly more challenging than pool swimming. The controlled conditions of a pool provide swimmers with an optimal environment for achieving their best times. Additionally, maintaining a consistent pace over long distances in open water presents a significant challenge.
Vibar said, “I expect this meet to be one of experience. For Philippine swimming and swimmers to experience competition of this category and caliber. I hope we perform well po win or lose and learn a lot from the competition. I also hope that after this meet, it will open the eyes of other Filipino swimmers to try out open water swimming and get in on this opportunity.” MLSA
