THE Megakraken Swim Team scored 591.5 points to clinch the overall team championship in the Visayas leg of the FINIS 2022 Short Course Swim Competition Series recently at the University of Saint La Salle (USLS) swimming pool in Bacolod City.
The Iloilo Tiger Shark Swim Team finished a far second (395 points) and the La Herencia Swim Club took third place (387.5 points) in the two-day event that attracted 280 swimmers, including up-and-coming junior tankers and FINIS brand ambassadors Alexi Kouzenye Cabayaran of the Santa Fe Crocs Swimming Team in the girls’ 15-16 age group and Kyla Soguilon of the Aklan Swimming Club in the girls’ 16-17 class.
“It was successful in a way, as per interviews with the parents and coaches, they considered it a well-organized event, with lots of swag for the swimmers and coaches never seen in other tournaments,” said FINIS Philippines Managing Director Vince Garcia.
“The environment was festive, but with serious competitiveness, a far cry from the negativity of the lockdowns. The people were shouting non-stop, especially on the relays,” Garcia added.
Garcia, a veteran triathlete, said that FINIS is feeding two birds with one seed in organizing the event that was officially launched last April with the Manila leg competition as it boosts the country’s swimming grassroots program and intends to elevate the competition level in terms of the fun environment and innovative processes.
