Rafael Barreto ruled the boys 16-18-year-old boys butterfly event in impressive fashion, narrowly missing the Youth Olympic Games A qualifying time to highlight the start of the PSI National Age Group Swimming Championships at the Rizal Memorial pool yesterday.
Barely 24 hours after arriving from training in the US, Barreto showed no signs of jet lag in clinching the gold medal with a winning time of 55.81 seconds, merely .29 of a second off the YOG A qualifying time of 55.59 seconds.
“I didn’t realize I was swimming that fast so I’m happy with the outcome,” said Barreto, 17, who underwent intensive training under King Aquatic Club coach Doug Djang, a former Seattle University varsity standout, of his accomplishment.
“Puyat pa yan. Konti na lang. Sobra po yatang napakain sa San Francisco,” Luica Dacanay, Barreto’s coach, quipped.
“Considering that he just arrived from the US, Barreto’s performance was truly impressive,” noted newly-elected Philippine Swimming Inc. president Lani Velasco.
With the victory, he also handily met the qualifying mark in the event for the 43rd Southeast Asian Age Group swimfest the country will be hosting in July.
Sharing the limelight with Barreto, a gold medalist in the SEA Age Group meet held in Brunei late last year, were Maurice Sacho Ilustre, Nicole Meah Pamintuan, Kirsten Chloe Daos and medley specialist Xiandi Chua, who copped a pair of mints each.
A three-time Palarong Pambansa Most Valuable Player in swimming, Ilustre, carrying the colors of La Salle Zobel, topped the boys 19 and over 100-meter butterfly (57.25) as well as the 200-meter individual medley (2:15.98).