FILIPINA swimmer Dianna Celyn Cruz showed grit and determination as she battled through illness and lingering hip pain to capture a bronze medal in the women’s 20-and-over category at the 4th Southeast Asia Open Water Swimming Championships in Boracay.
The 21-year-old De La Salle University swimmer was competing in her first international open water competition, making her podium finish even more significant.
Cruz admitted that the race was far from easy after she went five days without training before the competition because she was sick.
“Actually, it was very tiring since before this competition, I had five days with no training because I got sick,” Cruz said.
She also revealed that she had been dealing with a hip strain sustained during the national tryouts in June.
“It was a hip strain. And then, I thought it was okay already,” she said.
But during the race, Cruz felt the pain return in both hips and even reached a point in the third lap when she considered stopping.
“Earlier, I felt that both hips were still hurting. But yeah, thank God, I didn’t stop because I thought I was going to give up already. In the third lap, I thought I was going to stop,” Cruz said.
Despite the difficult circumstances, Cruz managed to finish the race and secure a place on the podium.
She credited her faith for giving her the strength to push through the demanding race.
“God, of course, I wouldn’t do this if it wasn’t because of God. He gave me strength and then power,” she said.
Cruz also expressed her gratitude to her sponsor for helping provide her racing suits for the competition.
The bronze marked a new experience for Cruz, who normally competes in pool events. Her regular events include the 400 individual medley, 200-meter backstroke, 100-meter backstroke and 50-meter backstroke, among others.
Asked to describe her specialty, Cruz simply called herself an “all-rounder.”
The DLSU third-year student is coached by Ramil Ilustre.
Cruz now takes home a bronze medal from her first international open water competition, a result made even more impressive by the challenges she had to overcome before and during the race. (Jesus Nathaniel Valdez)
