Southeast Asian Games heroine Chloe Isleta is out of the Philippine Team bound for the FINA World Championship.
Cecil Doromal-Waller, mother of the 24-year-old swimming sensation, told the media that her daughter, who wrote history last month as the first Filipina to win a gold medal in a swimming event in the SEA Games since Olympian Akiko Thompson did 29 years ago, was dropped out of the national team for the World Championship slated June 16 to 22 in Budapest, Hungary.
“Chloe is really upset. She returned to the US to train for the World Championship. She called me and cried as she narrated that PSI president Lani Velasco told her she was out of the national team for the Budapest tilt. I was also surprised, what happened? The line-up is already final since the deadline for nominations is over,” said Doromal-Waller at the Tabloids Organization in Philippine Sports, Inc. (TOPS) Usapang Sports on Thursday via Zoom.
Isleta, who finished college at Arizona University, broke the national record in the 100-m backstroke (1: 03.37) and the 200-m back. Her FINA accumulated points made her a shoo-in for the FINA World Championship.
“PSI president (Lani Velasco) had no courage to tell this to me because she knows I would not buy it. I would fight for it. Chloe worked hard for this and her removal from the lineup just to favor undeserving but favorite swimmers is travesty in sports. Hindi maganda ito,” she said.
According to Doromal-Waller, on May 29, the PSI already issued a memorandum announcing the selection of four swimmers — Luke Gabbi, Jasmine Alkalhdi, Miranda Renner and Chloe Isleta—to the World Championship. The deadline for submission of nominations to FINA was on May 15.
“In the PSI announcement, there was already something wrong, I just wondered nobody spoke and questioned the decision because Jasmine (Alkalhdi) and Miranda (Renner) should not be included if the basis is the criteria that only the top two men and women can be sent to the World Championship,” added Doromal-Waller at the sports forum sponsored by the Philippine Sports Commission, Games and Amusements Board and PAGCOR.
In the FINA points system, the top three Filipino swimmers are Luke Gebbie (843), Jonathan Cook (793), and Jerard Jacinto (757), while in the women’s side are Isleta (755), Desirae Mangaoang (739 ), and Alkhaldi (722).
“In the PSI guideline, ‘no nomination, no inclusion to the roster… and no extension shall be granted!’ Swimmers with no nomination since they never swam a single FINA meet before the nomination deadline of May 3, 2022 are Jessica Geriane and Miranda Renner and yet the PSI is trying to include them on the team. That’s nonsense!, ” said Doromal-Waller.
“Kawawa ang mga atleta sa ganitong sistema. Si Chloe nga since 2015 pa part ng national team pero until now wala siya sa listahan na nabibigyan ng allowance from the PSC. Inireklamo ko na ito, but the PSC told me dapat may endorsement coming from the PSI. And what has PSI done? Wala, tapos aapihin pa ang anak ko na parang walang nagawang contribution sa swimming at sa bansa,” she said
“We’re still waiting sa opisyal na memo ng PSI regarding this. But ngayon pa lang, ipaglalaban ko ito. Maybe I will talk with the Philippine Olympic Committee, the PSC and the Athletes’ Commission. Hindi lang sports ang nasisira ng ganitong sistema, kungdi ang puso at kumpiyansa ng mga local at deserving swimmers,” said Doromal-Waller.