The Philippine Behrouz Elite Swimming Team (BEST), led by national junior record holder Michaela Jasmine Mojdeh, pulled off a dominating performance in the butterfly event as the Paranaque-based squad scored the best-combined 699 points on Sunday at the close of the 2022 Philippine Swimming Inc. National Open at the Teofilo Ildefonso swimming pool inside the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex in Malate, Manila.
Mojdeh, a Grade 10 student at the Brent International-Laguna and protégé of the late Olympian Susan Papa, scored a double against veteran national mainstay and UAAP champion Kirsten Chloe Daos as the 16-year-old tanker clocked 2:19.90 in their women’s 200-m butterfly duel.
The 23-year Daos, a one-time UAAP top swimmer, settled for silver with a time of 2:22.49.
During the opening of the three-day meet organized by PSI as part of the selection process on the composition of the National Team for the various international events, including the 31st Southeast Asian Games, Mojdeh, dubbed ‘Water Beast’ for her dominating performance in Palarong Pambansa and junior tournaments, won the 100-m fly with a time of 1:03.89 against Daos (1:04.10) and Camille Buico (1:04.20), another big name in the local swimming competition.
Mojdeh claimed no.1 in the women’s individual ranking with 91 points as she also secured a podium finish in the women’s 200m individual medley, placing second with a time of 2:28.48, and a couple of runner-up finishes in the 50m butterfly (29.65) and 400m individual medley (5:16.29). Thanya Dela Cruz and Xiandi Chua were tied with 60 points.
BEST tankers made a record of sorts as teammates Mervin Jules Mirandilla (2:11.18), Ivan Nicolas (2:12.82), and Hugh Antonio Parto (2:14.55) completed a sweep in the men’s 200-m butterfly event, even as Jordan Ken Lobos proved his domination in the breaststroke event with a gold-medal effort in the men’s 200-meters (2:21.77) against Kyle Bagusto of Marikina (2:30.91) and Joshua del Rio of Ateneo (2:33.62).
The 19-year-old Lobos, a product of Calayan Educational Foundation Incorporated in Lucena City, earlier won the men’s 100-m breast with a time of 1:06.00 against Samuel Alcos of Ateneo Blue Knights (1:06.07) and third placer Rafael Isip of Ayala Harpoons (1:07.02). In the 50-m event on Friday, Lobos settled for silver.
John Neil Paderes shared the limelight with a victory in the men’s 50-back with a time of 27.53 seconds over Armand Chan (26.91) and Philip Santos (28.29). He also bagged a bronze medal in the 200-m back (2:13.81)
Mojdeh, Lobos and Mirandilla were the BEST top performers with a double-gold each. The 20-year-old Mirandilla also ruled the men’s 100m butterfly on opening day and placed second in the men’s 50m butterfly (25.70).
Another veteran international campaigner Marcus Johannes De Kam contributed a third-place performance in the men’s 200m freestyle (1:59.81), while Amina Isabelle Mondenedo from sister team BEST-Paranaque won the gold in women’s 50m freestyle (28.72).
“We are so proud of these swimmers. Despite the challenges during training because of the pandemic, they managed to make a good showing in this competition against veteran campaigners,” said Joan Mojdeh, Jasmine mother and BEST team manager.