Mojdeh tops 400m freestyle in PSI Grand Prix qualifiers

SWIM League Philippines-Behrouz Elite Swimming Team (SLP-BEST) standout Micaela Jasmine Mojdeh made her presence felt in the 2022 PSI Long Course Grand Prix Qualifying Series NCR Leg being held at the Teofilo Yldefonso Swimming Pool inside the historic Rizal Memorial Sports Complex in Malate, Manila.

Mojdeh, a Philippine national junior record holder and student of Brent International School, surprisingly dominated the women's 400m freestyle event.

The 16-year-old tanker, who recently won gold medals in France, submitted four minutes and 40.98 seconds — good enough to earn a spot in the next round of the Grand Prix.

"I did not expect my 400m freestyle to lower that much since I was not focusing so much on that event. But I was very happy to have lowered my time by almost six seconds," said Mojdeh.

"We are on heavy training this month so I was not expecting so much of my time to go down but I am happy that my times were not way off my best times," she added.

Mojdeh now shifts her sights on the PSI Grand Prix National Finals scheduled in October.

The Grand Prix National Finals serves as a qualifying event to earn a spot in the 2022 Southeast Asian (SEA) Age-Group Swimming Championships slated in December in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

"I am looking forward to the Grand Prix Finals in October for a better chance of aiming for best time and hopefully get the QTA in SEA Age for December," Mojdeh stressed.

Besides Mojdeh, also earning spots in the next round were Filipino-British Heather White and Ruben White, Filipino-Dutch Marcus De Kam and Julian De Kam, and Immaculate Heart of Mary College-Paranaque standout Julia Ysabelle Basa.

The other qualifiers from SLP-BEST were Yuan Parto, John Neil Paderes, Jules Mirandilla, Albert Sermonia, Yohan Cabana, Lance Lotino, Jenn Sermonia, Zahjeed Sarmiento, Alex Marasigan, Ashby Jayce Canlas, Peter Dean, Mikos Trinidad, Amina Mondonedo, Arianna Carandang, Mikai Trinidad, Chloe Laurente, Zandro Carandang, Shinloah San Diego, Renz Sabalvaro, Brendan Viñas, Ysabell Alterado and Lleyton Allen.

Veteran mentor Virgilio de Luna heads the strong SLP-BEST squad. Joining him in the delegation are team manager Joan Mojdeh and secretary-general Marilet Basa.

Source: TheManila Times