Swimmer Jasmine Micaela Mojdeh, who set two Philippine junior records during the 2019 Palarong Pambansa, is finally getting comfortable when facing older opponents in the high school level.
And this is what she learned to do when she swam against older rivals last week in Davao City.
“Mas gusto ko na pong lumaban sa high school level. Kasi napu-push po ako,” said the 12-year old Mojdeh yesterday at the weekly “Usapang Sports” by the Tabloid Organization in Philippine Sports at the National Press Club in Intramuros, Manila.
After the Palarong Pambansa, Mojdeh is getting ready to join two more international meets, with the first one in Ontario, Canada with a six-member group, which earned medals when the last Palaro was held at the University of the Philippines-Mindanao campus aquatics center in Mintal.
Mojdeh leaves for Ontario for the coming Dr. Ralph Dickens international meet with Palaro medallists Saira and Lia Pabellon, Xander and Mica Talosig and Francis Cordero.
After that, Mojdeh will go with other Palaro medallists to see action in July in the ASEAN School Games in Indonesia.
During the Palarong Pambansa, Mojdeh got three golds and two silvers, and on her debut in the secondary girls’ division.
Last year, she was the most bemedalled swimmer of the 2018 Palaro in Vigan after winning six golds and a silver medal.
In doing so, she set two national junior marks in secondary girls’ 200-meter butterfly and in the 200-meter individual medley at the 13-under level.
Mojdeh took the gold medal in the 200-meter butterfly in 2:22.69, which deleted Regina Castrillo’s 2:26.13 back in 2013.
In the 200-m individual medley, Mojdeh’s time of 2:30.11 eclipsed the 2:30.04 of Raven Faith Alcoseba set in the 2015 Batang Pinoy national finals.
Mojdeh’s campaign in Ontario was made possible following the formation of Swim Pilipinas, a club organization that is currently reaching out to swimmers at the grassroots level, sending them to international competitions for exposure.