Swimming internationalist Micaela Jasmine Mojdeh pulled off another sterling performance, winning six gold medals in another record-setting campaign in the recent 2019 Age-Group Champs Swim Meet in Tokyo, Japan.
Mojdeh, the country’s newest swimming sensation in the girls’ 11-12 division, ruled the 100-meter breaststroke (1:18.34), 100m butterfly (1:04.72), 200m Individual Medley (2:30.77), 100m Individual Medley (1:10.19), 50m butterfly (39.70) and 200m freestyle (2:13.01), all in record time.
But her performance in the 200m freestyle was the most impressive considering that the event is the least of her favorites.
“Medyo mataas pa nga ang mga time niya dahil siguro pagod na dahil panglimang tournament na niya ito this year. Pero talagang marami siyang ginulat sa 200m freestyle. Hindi naman niya ito madalas languyin kaya nang matalo niya ‘yung mga lehitimong free stylers, nasabi na lang nila na very good strategy daw,” said Mojdeh’s mother Joan, who served as team manager of the Philippine Swimming League Team sent here through the initiative of PSL president Susan Papa, with the help of the Filipino-Japanese community in Tokyo.
Last month, the 12-year-old Immaculate Heart of Mary College-Paranaque standout bagged eight gold medals and set seven meet records in the Beijing All-Star Swimming Championships at the Water Cube – the pool where American Michael Phelps re-wrote history by winning eight gold medals in the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Mojdeh, a medal prospect in the coming 30th Southeast Asian Games this November if given a chance to join the Philippine Team, set meet records in the girls’ 11-12 division in 200-meter fly (2:17.89), 200m individual medley (2:25.68), 200m breaststroke (2:43.51), 100mbutterfly (1:04.67), 100m IM (1:09.85), 50m butterfly (29.41) and 50m breast stroke (36:13).
Her eighth gold came from the girls’ 11-12 division of the 100m breaststroke (1.17.77).
“We are keeping our fingers crossed na sana po matuloy ‘yung nabalitaan namin na magpapatawag ang POC (Philippine Olympic Committee) ng national tryouts para sa lahat ng swimmers regardless of affiliation,” said Joan.
The Philippine Swimming Inc., which is embroiled in leadership dispute with the PSL, is the current swimming association both recognized by the POC and the International Swimming Federation.
Mojdeh, the Palarong Pambansa most bemedalled athlete, also owns a Philippine national junior record in the 100m butterfly with a time of 1 minute and 4.71 seconds during the 152nd PSL National Series, shattering her own mark of 1:05.10 established during the SICC Swimming Championship last August in Singapore.