Another SEA Games record surpassed by Pinoy swimmer Arabejo

MANILA, Philippines – Beijing Olympian Ryan Arabejo capped his strong performance in the 2009 USA Swimming Speedo Championship series Southern Zone Southern Sectional Championships with another record in his favorite 1500m freestyle on Sunday in Gainesville, Florida. Arabejo submitted a time of 15 minutes 41:41 seconds to win his second silver medal in the competition that attracted the top US swimmers outside of their national team. His clocking surpassed his own Southeast Asian Games record of 15:43:27, making the 19-year-old swimmer the odds-on favorite to top the said distance again in the 2009 Laos Games. Arabejo, however, fell short in eclipsing the Philippine record (15:39:86) he himself set during the 12th World Championships in Australia in 2007. The 19-year-old Arabejo, who is on a scholarship at the University of Florida and regularly trains at the Olympic Training Center at Bolles University, earlier won the Florida meet’s silver medal in the 400m free with a record-shattering 3:57:25. This mark bested the current SEA Games 400m free record (3:57:34 set by Thailand’s Torlarp Sethsothon in 1995), making Arabejo a strong contender for the gold of this event come the 2009 SEAG n Laos. “His level of competitiveness is rising and we are pleased to see that our swimmers are able to erase records months before the SEA Games," said Philippine Amateur Swimming Association president Mark Joseph. Earlier, Arabejo’s teammate Miguel Molina rewrote three RP records during the Japan Open while female tanker Erica Totten made four new marks in swimming meets in the US. Arabejo, Molina and Totten along with other members of the national team will further be tested when they compete in the 13th FINA World Championships in Rome from July 26 to August 2. - GMANews.TV