SEAG: Jasmine Alkhaldi finishes 3rd in re-swim

MANILA, Philippines — Jasmine Alkhaldi’s gold medal will remain an illusion.

In the re-swim of the women’s 100 free at the 27 th Southeast Asian Games in Myanmar, the 20-year-old Filipina finished third behind the winning Thai swimmer whose protest prompted the jury to nullify Alkhaldi’s victory and ordered a new race from scratch.

Nathanan Junkrajang of Thailand won, followed by Tien Wen Quah of Singapore and Alkhaldi, government sports radio station dzSR reported Friday evening. No times were given.

Mark Joseph, president of Philippine Swimming Inc., was unable to confirm this news. He earlier said that a re-swim was inevitable and that the Filipina should be able to recover from Thursday’s horrible day.

It was another day of gloom for the Philippine team in the biennal sports meet where it has won only three gold medals. But the boxing team provided some consolation after seven pugs entered the gold medal round even as Asian Games champion Rey Saludar lost to a Myanmar fighter.

Col. Jeff Tamayo, the Philippine delegation head in Myanmar, had filed a protest to the SEA Games Federation to stop the re-swim but to no avail. Joseph elevated the protest to FINA, swimming’s world governing body, he said in a text message to Rappler.

Alkhaldi won the race Thursday and was awarded the gold medal before the jury reversed the result, said Joseph, citing national coach Pinky Brosas.

Thailand filed the protest after Nathanan said there was a second sounding of the horn during the finals of the 100 free.

“The medals have already been awarded when we were told of the decision. Jasmine had gone to the doping control, etc… and we were told to return the medal,” said Joseph in his text message Thursday evening. –Rappler.com