MANILA, Philippines — Matapos ang makulay na juniors career, unti-unti nang gumagawa ng ingay si Micaela Jasmine Mojdeh sa seniors division matapos kumana ng pilak na medalya sa 20th Singapore National Swimming Championships na ginanap sa Singapore Sports School, Woodlands.
Inilabas ng Behrouz Elite Swimming Team standout ang buong lakas nito upang maitarak ang dalawang minuto at 17.79 segundo para matiyak ang pilak sa women’s 200m butterfly.
Mas maganda ito kumpara sa naitala nitong 2:17.83 sa preliminary kung saan nanguna ito laban sa mga matitikas na tankers kabilang na si reigning Southeast Asian Games champion Quah Jing Wen ng Singapore.
Na-disqualified si Quah sa naturang event matapos magtamo ng pagkakamali habang hindi pa tapos ang laban dahilan para hindi ito makapasok sa finals.
Nasungkit ng isa pang Pinay bet na si Xiandi Chua ang gintong medalya na may dikit na 2:17.48 habang nagkasya naman sa tanso si Megan Janice Ee Xin ng Singapore na may nailistang 2:18.11.
Masaya rin si Mojdeh sa magandang ipinamalas nito sa women’s 100m butterfly kung saan naisumite nito sa finals ang 1:02.02 na mas mabilis ng 0.66 sa kanyang season best.
“I was so shocked with the time I got in my 100m butterfly. I did not expect that I could do it and hit that 1:02.02 which is just .03 away from 1:01 (personal best),” ani Mojdeh.
Nagawang makipagsabayan ni Mojdeh sa mas beteranong kalaban sa tulong na rin ng motibasyon na ibinigay ng mga coaches nito at ng mga magulang nito.
“I was a bit worried to be swimming in A final because I swam with the SEA Games veterans in the final. But my coach reminded me that I needed to just focus on myself,” dagdag ni Mojdeh.
Dahil sa magandang aral, nagawa ni Mojdeh na maisakatuparan ang inaasam nitong mas mapaganda pa ang kanyang season best time.
“My mom told me to just close my eyes so that I would not be focusing on my fast competitor but instead focus on how I feel. And so I did and it worked! I hit my personal best (PB) and it was such a great feeling,” ani Mojdeh.
Naniniwala si Mojdeh na hindi dapat madaliin ang lahat.
Kailangang dumaan sa proseso at ilang hakbang upang unti-unting makuha ang inaasam na tagumpay.
“I really understood more and value the importance of taking one step at a time. I’m glad that consistently this year I have been hitting PBs for my 50s and 100s and also improving my 200 fly time since March,” ani Mojdeh.
Nagpasalamat ito sa kanyang mga coaches sa pangunguna nina veteran coach Sherwyn Santiago at strength and conditioning expert Jerricson Llanos.
“I am happy to be working with amazing people who helped me in this journey. I Know I still have a long way to go. I just need to stay consistent and really trust the process. Thanks Coach Weng and coach Jek for helping me a lot here in Singapore and my BEST and Royals Teammates,” pagtatapos nito.
Pinaghahandaan ni Mojdeh ang pagsabak nito sa PAI National Tryouts sa Agosto na magsisilbing qualifying tournament para sa 2025 SEA Games na idaraos sa Disyembre sa Bangkok, Thailand.
Nakatakda ring simulan ni Mojdeh ang kanyang college days sa University of Southern California kung saan magiging bahagi ito ng varsity swimming team.
Samantala, nakahirit din si Chua ng isa pang ginto sa paborito nitong women’s 200m backstroke tangan ang 2:14.93 at nakatanso pa ito sa women’s 200m freestyle habang nag-ambag ng isang tanso si Quendy Fernandez sa women’s 50m backstroke (30.01).