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Tirol kin named to Philippine swim team for 2019 SEA Games

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Junior national swimming record-holder Rian Marco Adiong Tirol recent aquatic exploits were duly recognized as the youthful tanker was selected to the roster of Filipino swimmers that will compete in the upcoming 30th Southeast Asian Games (SEA) to be held this December 4-9, 2019 at Capas, Tarlac.

Tirol or Mico as he is known, qualified for inclusion to the Philippine Swimming Team by hitting the outright qualifying time in Philippine Swimming, Inc. (PSI) and International Swimming Federation (FINA) sanctioned events.

To qualify for inclusion to the RP SEA Games roster, a swimmer must have either hit the qualifying time or placed in the top two (which Mico did both) in PSI and FINA-sanctioned events during the qualifying period from January 1 – September 3, 2019.

As a result of his selection, Mico is the first Boholano swimmer that will take part in the biennial regional multi-sport event. He is also one of the youngest members of the Philippine swim team that will compete in the games will see swimmers from the 11 participating countries showcase their mettle to try and earn a place in the winner’s podium.

Lailani Velasco, the President of PSI, praised Mico and the other swimmers and their coaches for qualifying for the games. Velasco noted that their qualification was a testament to their hard work and dedication to their craft.

The young Tirol’s selection to the 2019 SEA Games is the latest accolade in an eventful year which has seen him bag medals and set new Philippine junior national records in several swimming competitions.

It can be recalled that Mico won the silver medal in the 50m breaststroke in the 2019 SEA Age Group Swimming Championships in Cambodia, setting a new Philippine Junior Record in the process, a record which he had previously set in the 50th Singapore National Age Group Swimming Championship.

Mico also set the new Palarong Pambansa records for the 50m breaststroke and the 100m breaststroke in the 2019 Palaro in Davao City while winning three golds and one silver. In addition, he also won five golds and established new UAAP records in the 50m, 100m, and 200m breaststroke events while swimming for Ateneo de Manila University during last season’s University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Swimming Championships.

Mico, a proud product of the University of Bohol – Victoriano D. Tirol Advanced Learning Center (UB-VDTALC) and former Team Captain of the UB Rockets Swimming Team is the second of three children of Dr. Victoriano B. Tirol, III, the UB President and Dr. Maricel A. Tirol, UB’s Vice President for Finance.