Vietnam Southeast Asian Games (2022) gold medalist Chloe Isleta has secured a place in the World Aquatics Championships set December 10 to 15 in Budapest, Hungary.
The 26-year-old swimmer achieved this feat by meeting the qualifying times in the women’s 100m individual medley and 100m backstroke during the recent Puerto Rico International Short Course Swimming Open.
Isleta, a former Arizona State University student and current De La Salle University master’s student, clocked 1:01.59 in the 100m individual medley and 59.80 seconds in the 100m backstroke, surpassing the qualifying standards.
While she narrowly missed the qualifying time in the 50m backstroke, her 27.62-second swim tied her national record.
Following her impressive performance, Isleta expressed her gratitude to Puerto Rico and the Philippine Aquatics, Inc. (PAI) for their support. She will now compete in the WA Swimming World Cup Series in China, South Korea, and Singapore, aiming to secure additional qualifying times.
Joining Isleta in the World Cup Series is Xiandi Chua, another Philippine swimming standout.
The 23-year-old UAAP champion and SEA Games’ record holder qualified for the World Championships by achieving a qualifying time in the 400m individual medley during the 2024 Australia Short Course Swimming Championships. Chua’s time of 4:45.41 broke the previous national record.
PAI has expressed its pride and support for both Isleta and Chua, recognizing their achievements as a significant milestone for Philippine swimming. The organization hopes that their success will inspire young swimmers to pursue their dreams.
