DAKAR-Height, like in most sports, is might even in swimming where the Philippines Jamesray Mishael Ajido found didn’t have when ranged against much taller opponents at the 4th Youth Olympic Games.
Ajido had practically the same skill set as every other swimmer here, but obviously not the body length.
‘It’s given, the Americans and Europeans, and even the Africans have that height advantage,’ said Philippine Olympic Committee president Abraham Tolentino, reiterating his observation while doing the rounds at the Youth Olympic Village since arriving here last Wednesday. ‘They’re bigger.’
That disadvantage showed in Ajido’s campaign in the men’s 200 meters butterfly on Sunday, where he finished fifth against rivals who towered over him by a head or more, and whose reach is much longer.
‘He has the skills, but not the height,’ said Ramil Ilustre, who’s tasked to coach-alongside Jensen Halili of the National Academy of Sports in Capas-Ajido and Riannah Chantelle Coleman here by the Philippine Aquatics Inc.
Ajido clocked 55.16 seconds for fifth place in the 100m fly final, finishing three seconds behind gold medalist Egyptian Ali Zain and under a second behind silver medalist Serbian Aleksej Kalan and bronze medalist Slovakian Marias Kristof and fourth-placed Indian Tirthank Pegun.
All four stood a foot or more taller than Ajido.
All’s not lost though for Ajido, who will still race the 50 meters freestyle and 50 butterfly heats on Wednesday for Team Philippines supported by the Philippine Sports Commission chaired by Patrick Gregorio.
Coleman was scheduled to swim the heats of the women’s 200 breastroke Monday and also the 50 breastroke on Thursday.
Tchelzy Maayo and Hillarion Palles III and their coaches, Reyland Capellan and Japanese Kazutaka Hakamada, checked in at the YOV on Monday, five days ahead of the artistic gymnastics competition at the Dakar Expo Center in Diamniado.
Arriving here on Thursday are the cycling team composed of athlete Maritanya Krog and coaches Mark Lexer Galedo and Marita Lucas, the athletics team of Pi Durden Wangkay (Men’s 200m) and Naomi Marjorie Caesar (Women’s 800m) and coach Jonah Genilza and windsurfing’s Jade Justine Justiniane and coach German Paz.
Pitted against opponents who’re a head or more taller, Ajido clocked 55.16 seconds to better his time in the morning qualifiers by almost two seconds where he placed seventh, but it wasn’t enough for the bemedalled Asian juniors swimmer to break the podium.
Zain looked even more formidable in the final and erased his heats best time of 53.96-second performance with 53.96 and the Egyptian had enough to beat Kalan and Kristof.
A dejected Ajido-the only Southeast Asian in the final-passed the Mixed Zone protocol.