Xiandi Chua proved that the hype was worth it during her most-awaited debut as she carried De La Salle University into the early lead in the women’s division of the UAAP Season 85 Swimming Championships, Thursday at the Teofilo Yldefonso Swimming Pool in Malate, Manila.
On the other hand, reigning six-time men’s champion Ateneo de Manila University leaned on its rookies Rafael Barreto and Philip Joaquin Santos to pace the pack ahead after the first day of rivals La Salle.
Chua, who also lorded it over in the Philippine Swimming, Inc. Grand Prix just last month, smashed the existing UAAP records in the women’s 100-meter freestyle and women’s 200-meter individual medley to annex two golds for her and the Lady Green Tankers to take the solid 23-point lead at 106 over University of the Philippines’ 83.
The national team member broke a freshly established UAAP record of teammate and fellow internationalist Chloe Isleta in the 100m freestyle with a time of 57.48, breaking the latter’s record of 58.43 established during the preliminaries. She then dominated the 200-m IM with a new UAAP mark of 2:20.33, way ahead of University of the Philippines’ swimmers Erin Castrillo’s 2:27.58 and Camille Buico’s 2:28.73.
The Fighting Maroons stayed in the second spot with Shayne Lugay, Bela Magtibay, Gianina Manuel, and Angela Villamil leading the charge with a fresh UAAP mark in the women’s 4×50-meter medley relay with a time for 2:04.45, 0.20 seconds ahead of their predecessors’ time set in 2017.
UST and Ateneo stand in the third and fourth spots, respectively, with 39 and 36 points.
Barreto and Santos took the men’s 100-meter freestyle and 200-meter IM titles, respectively, to lead the Blue Eagle to the slight lead with 95 points. Barreto went ahead of La Salle’s Sacho Ilustre with 52.11 against the latter’s 53.06, while Santos marginally went ahead of Ted Laminta and Steven Ho, both also from La Salle, with 2:11.39 over the latter two’s 2:11.47 and 2:11.86.
The Green Tankers, though, won the men’s 4×200-meter freestyle relay in record-breaking fashion with Jaren Tan, Mikhail Ramones, Alexander Chu, and Reiniel Lagman setting the new mark at 8:03.47, breaking UP’s previous record of 8.06.50 established in 2016, to keep in step with Ateneo at 85 points.
The Fighting Maroons and the Tigersharks are in third and fourth places, respectively, with 62 and 22 markers.
The UAAP Season 85 Swimming Championships continue on Friday starting at 8 a.m. with the preliminaries and 2:30 p.m. with the finals.
