Sacrifice worth it for PH Olympians

Photo by: Jerome Ascano

JASMINE Alkhaldi and Jessie Khing Lacuna held their heads high despite taking home no medals after representing the Philippines in the swimming competitions of the 2016 Rio Olympics.

It was the second straight Olympic stints for the two swimmers with Alkhaldi qualifying in the 100m freestyle, while Lacuna entered in the 400m freestyle.

Spin.ph caught with the two top Pinoy swimmers to learn more about them, how they started their swimming career, and how they train for big competitions like the Olympics.

Jasmine Alkhaldi

As early as three years old, Alkhaldi had shown her natural talent in swimming. In fact, one story remained vivid for her on how her love story with the pool began.

“Mahilig daw ako sa tubig. Nung nakakita ako ng swimming pool, tumalon ako. Nalunod ako. Nag-swimming lessons na ako after nun. Dun na nagtuluy-tuloy,” said Alkhaldi.

Alkhaldi kept improving since then, and has represented the country in international swimming competitions even before her teenage years.

“Napili ako sumama nung 2005 sa isang event. 11 years old ako nun. Nag-bronze ako sa event na ‘yun. Simula nun, lagi na akong nag-cocompete,” she said.

For all the success she achieved in swimming, Alkhaldi said a lot of sacrifices had to be made along the way, as the sport entails a lot of training, with limited breaks in between.

“Mahirap kasi dapat tuluy-tuloy. Wala akong break. Ang longest break ko, mga two weeks, kasi swimming kailangan tuluy-tuloy,” she said.

Another sacrifice that Alkhaldi had to make is striking a balance between athletics and academics while she was studying in the University of Hawaii.

“Minsan pagod ka na sa school, lagi kang lumalangoy hanggang sa masanay ka. Umaga at hapon nasa gym ka,” said Alkhaldi.

To remain in tip-top shape, Alkhaldi also needed to watch her diet, and although she doesn’t follow any strict eating plan, she makes it a point to avoid junk foods.

“Wala namang strict diet. Ang swimming naman, maraming na-bu-burn na calories so balanced diet lang. Twice ako mag-swimming kaya nauubos talaga ‘yung energy. Marami akong kinakain pero ‘wag lang junk foods,” said Alkhaldi.

All the sacrifices and hard work she’s poured into the sport has been paying off. Alkhaldi went on to compete in several Southeast Asian Games and Asian Games, and holds several Philippine records in different events. In 2012, she made it to the London Olympics before returning to the biggest sporting spectacle four years later when she made it to Rio.

Through discipline and determination, Alkhaldi has come a long way.

Jessie Khing Lacuna

It was so easy for Lacuna to love the sport of swimming even when he was still a baby. At three months of age, Lacuna would crawl from their house to the pool just to get close to the water.

“Bahay namin, nasa loob ng resort. Sabi ng parents ko, three months old pa lang, ginagapang ko na from house to the pool. So three months old, basically nasa pool na ako,” said Lacuna with a smile.

Lacuna soon learned that he would eventually become a competitive swimmer when he was five years old as he followed the footsteps of his brothers, who was motivated further at the time through some sibling rivalry.

“Sabi ko sa sarili ko, darating ‘yung time na matatalo ko sila pareho. ‘Yun nag-turn around na I should continue swimming,” Lacuna said.

His competitive fire burned brighter when he was an elementary school pupil, beating kids far older than him but was robbed of his reward since he was deemed too young to formally join the competition.

“Nagkaroon ng provincial meet sa amin sa Malolos,” Lacuna recalled, “Grade Two ako, mga kalaban ko, Grade Five, Grade Six. Natalo ko sila. Naghanap ako ng medal, hindi ako nabigyan kasi saling kit lang ako.”

Despite his natural talent, Lacuna also had to earn his place in the national team in order to sustain and improve on his performance. Aside from twice-a-day training, he also has to discipline himself with his diet.

“Nagwowork-out ako twice-a-day. Umaabot ng more than 15km a day. Nagbabasa rin ako about diet. 10,000 calories kasi ang nabuburn ng swimmers so kahit ano naman puwede kainin. Pero I think self-discipline na rin kung anong bawal,” Lacuna said.

In his training in Australia for the Rio Olympics, Lacuna followed a strict diet as he only ate chicken, brown rice, and pasta during weekdays, with ‘cheat days’ during weekend where he indulged in chocolates.

Throughout his career, Lacuna has been handled by different coaches who have different styles and philosophies in training. But the common denominator with all his mentors was that all of them were tough.

“Iba-iba ang forte nila and all of them, mahirap talaga. For example, nung bata ako, laging pinapagawa sa akin, butterfly pero ‘yung mga kasabay ko, freestyle. Nung lumipat ako sa national pool, more on distance. 8,000 meters ang nilalangoy ko. Then, now, more on qualify and speed work because short distance lang, kailangan fast pace.”

For all his hardwork at the pool, Lacuna is happy with what he has attained in swimming, which he considers the hardest sport in the world.

“Paano ka lalangoy kung walang pool unlike land sports. All they need is space. Ang swimming, kailangan may pool,” said Lacuna.