By Edwin Rollon
CAMBODIA Southeast Asian Games long course record holder in women’s 200-meter backstroke Xiandi Chua made another breakthrough in her sterling career, establishing a new Philippine record while campaigning for the Philippine Team in the 2024 Australian Short Course Swimming Championships on Friday at the Adelaide, Australia.
The 23-year-old senior student at the De La Salle University taking up Business Entrepreneur placed third in the second of three heats in the 400m Individual medley clocking 4;45.41 behind heat winner Tara Kinder of Melbourne Victoria Club (4:41.95) and Amelie Smith of ROCKC (4:44.09).
In an official transcript received by Philippine Aquatics, Inc. (PAI) Executive Director Anthony Reyes, Xiandi’s time broke the 4:46.08 mark registered by Georgina Peregrina in the New Zealand National Championships on October 5, 2018.
The veteran internationalist also surpassed the Qualifying Time Standard for the World Cup Short Course Championship slated December 10-15 in Budapest, Hungary.
“On behalf of PAI president Miko Vargas, the PAI leadership extend our heartfelt congratulations to Xiandi (Chua). Her latest success will inspire young swimmers and her teammates for the coming World Cup series,” said PAI Secretary General in Batangas 1st District Congressman Eric Buhain.
Chua made it to the PH Team bound for the World Series after collecting 723 World Aquatics points during the National Trials last month. She will joined in the women’s squad by Southeast Asian Games gold medalist (2022) Chloe Isleta (770), Fil-American Cristina Miranda Renner (717), and Micaela Jasmine Mojdeh (690). The men’s team comprised of Joshua Gabriel Ang (749), Miguel Barreto (743), Arizona State University mainstay Fil-Am Kyle Gerard Valdez (715), Rian Marco Tirol ((747), Metin Junior Mahmutoglu (726), Rafael Barreto (723), Jerard Dominic Jacinto (733), Nathan Jao (722), Lucio Cuyong II, (664), Raymund Paloma (681), Albert Jose Amaro II (682), and Fil-Canadian Robin Christopher Domingo (665).
The World Cup Series comprises competition on Oct. 18-20 (Series 1) in Shanghai, China; (Series 2) on Oct. 24-26 in Incheon, South Korea; (Series 3 on Oct. 31 to Nov. 2 in Singapore and Cup Championships on Dec. 10-15 in Budapest, Hungary.
In the 2023 SEAG in Phnom Penh, Chua won the gold medal in the 200m back establishing a new record at 2:13.20. The old mark was 2:13.64 made by Vietnamese Nguyen Thi Anh Vien in the 2017 Malaysia edition.
