MASTER Charles Janda came into the 4th Southeast Asia Open Water Swimming Championships with his sights already set on another major challenge.
But before turning his attention to the UAAP, the young swimmer made the most of his first international open water experience and came away with a silver medal.
Janda finished second in the boys’ 16-17 festival 3kms category, making a strong impression in his first taste of international open water competition.
For the University of Santo Tomas swimmer, the race offered more than just a spot on the podium.
It gave him a different kind of challenge from the preparation he had been doing for the upcoming UAAP season.
“Well, since first time ko po, maayos naman po,” Janda said. “Actually, pine-prepare ko iyung sarili ko for UAAP coming to this, but it’s a great experience na makalangoy po dito.”
The silver medalist admitted that the competition was a new experience, but one he is already looking forward to taking on again.
“Definitely, ita-try ko ulit next time,” he said.
More importantly, Janda believes competing against swimmers from outside his usual environment gave him valuable exposure heading into the next stage of his season.
For him, the international competition was not just a personal test—it was an opportunity for all the swimmers to measure themselves in a different setting.
“Napakalaking tulong niya po. Siyempre, exposure po siya sa amin. Hindi lang po sa akin, mostly po sa lahat ng mga swimmers po dito,” Janda said.
And after opening his international open water journey with a silver medal, Janda now returns to his UAAP preparations carrying something more valuable than just a podium finish experience. (Jesus Nathaniel Valdez)
