Isleta sets personal best time in bronze medal finish in ASEAN swimfest
THE Philippines’ Chloe Isleta added another feather to her cap by bagging the bronze medal in the women’s 50-meter freestyle during the 20th ASEAN University Games at the Ban Yang Noi Campus in Ubon Ratchathani, Thailand.
Isleta, who delivered all four swimming gold medals of the country in the week- long competition, submitted another personal best time of 26.31 in the 50m freestyle for her fifth medal on the fourth day of competitions.
Isleta, widely considered as the new “Poster Girl” of Philippine swimming, also captured the gold medals in the women’s 50m, 100m and 200m backstroke and 200m individual medley.
Isleta’s gold medal finish in both the women’s 100m and 200m backstroke events also came in record AUG times.
A gold medal winner in the Southeast Asian Games in Vietnam last May, the 24-year-old Isleta finished behind Nur Marina Abdullah Chan of Singapore (26.09) and Jenjira Srisa-ard of Thailand (26.12).
Isleta’s bronze medal performance of 26.31 was also better than the 26.47 she submitted during the qualifying heats of the event organized by the ASEAN University Sports Council.
Another Filipino campaigner, Martn Jacob Pupos, finished seventh in both the 50m butterfly and 100 m freestyle.
It was the first competition for Pupos in almost two and a half years.
Elsewhere, defending champion Philippines defeated Singapore, 22-25, 25-22, 25-13, 25-19, but lost to Thailand, 25-23, 24-26, 12-25, 11-25, in the men’s volleyball competitions.
The National University-represented Filipinos are scheduled to take on the Singaporeans anew for the right to meet Thailand in the gold-medal match in the three-nation, round robin tournament.
The Filipinos’ campaign is supported by the Federation of School Sports Association of the Philippines (FESSAP).
