Vietnam-based swimmer Heather White, carrying the banner of Parañaque City, secured two gold medal in record-breaking fashion on the final day of the 2023 Batang Pinoy-Philippine National Games at the Teofilo Yldefonso Memorial Pool in the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex.
The 16-year-old White, a Fil-British athlete currently residing and studying in Ho Chi Minh, dominated the 16–17-year-old girls’ 200-meter freestyle and 100-meter butterfly events, concluding the five-day meet with an impressive seven gold medals.
White joined the elite ranks of athletes, such as Arvin Taguinota II and gymnast Karl Eldrew Yulo, who also achieved seven golds, making her one of the most decorated athletes in the Philippine Sports Commission-organized event.
On Day 5, White triumphed in the 200-meter freestyle with a clocking of two minutes, 7.67 seconds, surpassing her personal best of 2:08.19 set in Israel last year. Notably, her time also surpassed the Philippine record of 2:23.19, previously held by Sharienne Floriano.
In the afternoon session, White thwarted the seven-gold sweep attempt by her Paranaque teammate, Jasmine Mojdeh, in the 100-meter butterfly heats. White recorded an impressive time of 1:03.38, breaking Mojdeh’s year-old national mark of 1:06.75. Mojdeh, fresh from training in the United States, finished with a time of 1:03.58, just 2/10ths of a second behind White.
Meanwhile, Doha-based Taguinota secured his seventh gold in the 12-under boys’ 100-meter butterfly, clocking in at 1:03.38, a time below the national mark of 1:07.78 set by Kyle Libat in 2014.
Reflecting on her achievements, White, coached by her mother Jennifer, expressed her satisfaction, stating, “It was a really good race. I got the best times in both events that I did.”
Mojdeh, in her final season as an age group swimmer, initially seemed poised for a seven-gold medal sweep, claiming her sixth gold as she helped Paranaque secure the 200-meter freestyle relay gold in the 16–17-year-old girls’ category on Day 4.
White’s other gold medals came from her victories in the 100-meter freestyle, the 400-meter medley relay (teaming up with Mojdeh), the 50-meter freestyle, and the 400-meter freestyle.
Authorities at the Philippine Aquatics Inc. are still consolidating national records to determine any new marks set during the weeklong meet. Mojdeh’s additional golds were earned in the 200-meter IM, the 50-meter butterfly, the 400-meter IM, and the 200-meter butterfly.
Taguinota’s six other golds originated from Pasig’s triumph in the 200-meter freestyle relay, the 200-meter backstroke, the 200-meter medley relay, the 100-meter backstroke, the 50-meter backstroke, and the 200-meter IM.
