Isleta, Chua banner Phl swim squad

Homegrown stars Chloe Isleta and Xiandi Chua are set to lead the national women’s swimming team after dominating the National Trials conducted by the Philippine Aquatics Inc. (PAI) at the Rizal Memorial Aquatics Center recently.

Isleta and Chua, who have already seen action in the previous editions of the Southeast Asian Games, safely made the team that will vie in major international tourneys ahead, including the World Aquatics Swimming World Cup, the 46th Southeast Asia Age Group Championships and 11th Asian Open Water Swimming Championships.

Isleta and Chua topped the tryouts after meeting the Qualifying Standard Time (QTS) and World Aquatics (WA) points.

Isleta, a gold medalist in Hanoi SEA Games in 2022, registered 770 WA points while Chua had 723. Also making the list were Filipino-American Cristina Miranda Renner with 717, and Micaela Jasmine Mojdeh with 690, making them eligible to represent the country in the World Cup Series (short course).

Meanwhile, Joshua Gabriel Ang (749) and Miguel Barreto (743) will banner the men’s team in the World Cup Series, which is set to hold Series 1 from 18 to 20 October in Shanghai, China; Series 2 from 24 to 26 October in Incheon, South Korea; Series 3 from 31 October to 2 November in Singapore; and the Cup Championships from 10 to 15 December in Budapest, Hungary.

Also included in the men’s squad are 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).

On the other hand, Riannah Chantelle Coleman and United States-based Billie Blu Mondonedo head the team bound for the SEA Age Championships (long course) slated from 6 to 8 December in Bangkok, Thailand.

Joining them in the girls’ team are Mojdeh, Shania Joy Baraquiel, Ava Samantha Bautista, Liv Abigail Florendo, Sophia Rose Garra, and Bacolod-based Maxene Hayley Uy.

After hitting five QTS during the trials, New York-based Gian Santos will be joining forces with Asian Age Group titlist Jamesray Mishael Ajido in the boys’ team as they try to duplicate the two gold medals won in last year’s edition in Malaysia.

Other members of the boys’ team are Albert Jose Amaro, Ryian Zach Denzel Belen, Jaydison Dacuycuy, Alexander George Eichler, Fil-Mongolian Enkhmend Enkhmend, Ivo Nikolai Enot, Peter Dean and Reiniel Mikos Trinidad.

Grazielle Sophia Ato, Athea Margarette Lagunay, Athena Chang, and Hannah Sanchez, as well as Paulo Labanon, Rafael Cruz, Roy Angelo Rodriguez and Eirron Vibar will vie in the Open Swimming from 8 to 10 November in Hong Kong.