MANILA: Ricielle Maleeka Melencio emerged as one of the standout performers at the Go Full Speedo Swim Series 2 Championships held at the Teofilo Yldefonso swimming pool within the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex. On Sunday, she clinched two additional gold medals, earning the Most Outstanding Swimmer (MOS) award in the girls’ 19-and-over category.
According to Philippines News Agency, Melencio, a first-year Management Information Systems student at Ateneo de Manila University, delivered exceptional performances by winning the 200-meter backstroke with a time of 2:35.62 and the 1500-meter freestyle clocking in at 19:18.62. These victories brought her total gold medal tally to five for the event. Her earlier triumphs on Saturday included victories in the 50-meter butterfly (31.58), 200-meter freestyle (2:19.26), and 400-meter freestyle (4:55.28).
Despite not achieving personal best times, Melencio expressed satisfaction with her achievements. “Although my times here were slower than my personal best times, I’m
still thankful and happy for winning in my events,” she stated. Her personal best records remain at 31.17 for the 50m butterfly, 2:30.85 for the 200m backstroke, 2:15.03 for the 200m freestyle, 4:46.95 for the 400m freestyle, and 19:08.10 for the 1500m freestyle. Reflecting on her performance, she added, “As an athlete, what’s important is to challenge yourself and give your best effort.”
Other notable achievements at the event include Southeast Asia age-group campaigners Aishel Evangelista, Nicola Queen Diamante, Sophie Rose Garra, and Makoto Nakamura, who also received MOS awards. Evangelista, who had secured six gold medals in Series 1, excelled in the boys’ 14 years category by winning the 200-meter backstroke, 100-meter breaststroke, and 200-meter freestyle, while securing a second-place finish in the 100-meter backstroke.
In the girls’ 14 years category, ninth-grader Diamante triumphed in the 100-meter and 200-meter backstroke, as well as the 50-meter butterfly events. Garra dominated the girls’ 12 ye
ars category by topping the 200-meter and 400-meter freestyle, 100-meter and 200-meter backstroke, and 100-meter breaststroke events. Meanwhile, Nakamura claimed gold medals in the girls’ 11 years division for the 100-meter breaststroke, 200-meter freestyle, and 400-meter freestyle events.