COACH Rossbenor Antay did not just stand on the sidelines and watch his swimmers take on the open water challenge.
He jumped in with them and came out with gold.
Antay ruled the masters 51-55 category at the 4th Southeast Asia Open Water Swimming Championships, adding a personal triumph to an already memorable campaign that also saw his swimmer, Bella Aaliyah Fano, deliver the Philippines its first gold medal of the competition.
But for Antay, his own victory took a backseat to what his swimmers accomplished in their first taste of international open water competition.
He took pride not only in Fano, but also in Dave, Anton and Eliana, who all completed their respective races and earned their finishing medals.
More importantly, they did it in their first-ever open water competition.
For Antay, competing alongside his athletes was also about showing them that their coach understands exactly what it takes to step onto the starting line.
“As a coach, I feel that you have to sometimes let your students know why you became a coach or that you have the credibility to be a coach,” Antay said.
“Competing with them gives me a little bit of credibility.”
And by joining them in the water, Antay believes he was able to push that connection between coach and athlete to another level.
“Swimming with them or competing with them takes it a level higher,” he said.
His own race, however, was far from easy.
Antay admitted that he had not initially planned to compete because of a shoulder ligament injury and lingering back problems. His preparation was further complicated after he suffered from diarrhea during the opening day of the competition in Boracay.
But when the race began, Antay leaned on something that years away from the pool could not take away experience.
Having previously competed in longer-distance swims, including 10-kilometer and 15-kilometer events, Antay trusted his knowledge of the water despite entering the competition without proper training.
“Even though there was no training, the experience was just set in,” he said.
That experience ultimately carried Antay to gold.
And for the veteran coach, the medal was more than just another personal achievement; it was a chance to lead his swimmers by example, proving that sometimes the best way to teach athletes how to compete is to dive into the challenge right alongside them. (Jesus Nathaniel Valdez)
