BELLA Aaliyah Fano did not come to the 4th Southeast Asia Open Water Swimming Championships as an experienced open water swimmer.
In fact, she had never competed in one before.
But that did not stop the young Filipina standout from diving into unfamiliar territory and coming out with gold.
Fano ruled the girls’ 16-17 Festival 3kms category, clocking 40 minutes and 11.49 seconds to give the Philippines its first gold medal of the competition.
For the Diliman Preparatory School swimmer, the victory was even more meaningful considering how unexpected her journey into open water swimming had been.
“I don’t usually swim for open water and this event is my first open water competition,” Fano said.
Instead of going through an extensive open water training program, Fano had to make adjustments while continuing her regular swimming commitments, focusing on her breathing and preparing herself for a completely different challenge.
The pressure of representing the Philippines was also something she carried throughout the race.
“I feel relieved because it’s like I’m carrying the pride of the country and the team,” she said after delivering the breakthrough gold.
Her coach, Rossbenor Antay, revealed that their entry into the competition was almost accidental.
The team had initially planned to join another event, but after those plans fell through, they came across the open water competition and decided to take their chance.
“We just actually saw the post on Facebook,” Antay said.
There was no intense open water buildup. In fact, according to Antay, Fano only had a handful of open water training sessions before taking on the international competition.
Yet when race day came, the first-time competitor delivered.
“I’m very, very proud of my swimmer, Bella Fano,” Antay said. “It’s her first time to compete in open water, and it’s her first gold medal.”
Now, what started as an unexpected entry into open water swimming could become the beginning of something much bigger.
Fano is already looking ahead to the Palarong Pambansa qualifiers and more competitions, while Antay is ready to support her should she decide to continue her journey in open water.
After all, one accidental entry has already produced one golden result. (Jesus Nathaniel Valdez)
