Collegiate swimmer Maurice Sacho Ilustre hopes to be back in the Southeast Asian Games, this time in Cambodia.
After a four-year absence, the 23-year-old Ilustre is set to join an open qualifying competition that will determine the composition of the national aquatics’ team being formed for the biennial meet.
The qualifiers will be held on February 18 and 19 at the New Clark City Aquatics Center in Capas, Tarlac.
“I’m preparing for that to hopefully make it to the SEA Games again,” said Ilustre, who is in his third year as a student-athlete of De La Salle University.
Ilustre, who was recently named as one of the brand ambassadors of Milo, is getting back into serious training after a two-month layoff due to illness.
He did well in Season 85 of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines aquatics meet, where he bagged a silver medal in the 100-meter freestyle and a bronze in the 200-meter butterfly.
The last time he competed in the SEA Games was in 2019.
Back then, Ilustre shared a silver with Luke Gebbie, Jean Pierre Khouzam and Jarod Hatch in the 4×100-meter freestyle relays.
The Philippine Olympic Committee’s Stabilization Committee has listed a total of 20 events to be contested in swimming.
There are two events in water polo (men and women) and in the individual 3-meter springboard and platform for men and women in diving. Peter Atencio
The swimming events for men and women are freestyle 50, 100, 200, 400, 800 and 1,500; backstroke 50, 100 and 200; breaststroke 50, 100 and 200; butterfly 50, 100 and 200; individual medley 200 and 400; and freestyle Relay 4×100 and 4×200.
There are also freestyle events in the 800 meters for women and 1,500 for men, as well as a 4×100 meters medley relay for men, women and mixed team.