Rian Marco “Mico” Adiong Tirol and Victoriano Martin “Renzo” Adiong Tirol, IV, former team captain and member of the University of Bohol Rockets Swimming Team, respectively, have both made it to the top list of the Philippine Swimming Incorporated (PSI) Long Course Grand Prix – National Championships held last October 13-16, 2022 at New Clark City Aquatic Center, Capas, Tarlac.
The competition also served as a qualifying meet for the 32nd South East Asian Games (SEA Games) to be held on May 6-11, 2023 at Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
Mico a college student of the Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU)) and presently the team captain of the Ateneo varsity swimming team clinched gold medals in 50m breaststroke and 4 x 100m medley relay, and a bronze medal in 100m breast stroke.
His laudable performance in the pool came after his short recovery from the COVID-19 infection last August.
Although not yet at his full strength and speed, as he did not break or equal his personal best times, his performance in the 50m breaststroke (29.42 seconds) enabled him to climb to number 1 in ranking among Filipino swimmers vying to represent the Philippines in the 2023 SEA games.
The Philippines sends its top 2 swimmers in each event (breaststroke, Freestyle, butterfly & backstroke) in the South East Asian Games.
Meanwhile his younger brother Renzo, a senior high school student of the ADMU, and also a member of the Ateneo varsity swimming team, bagged a gold medal in the 4 x 100 m freestyle relay and a bronze medal in the 50m breast stroke Boys 16-18 category.
Equally impressive is that fact that he is the youngest at 17 in the tournament’s top 10 swimmers, ranked at number 8 in the 50m breaststroke Men’s category. All other swimmers ages in the top 10, range from 18 years to 32 years old.
The Tirol siblings are children of Dr. Victoriano B. Tirol III, President of the University of Bohol, and Chairman of the board of Cristal e-College and Dr. Maricel A. Tirol, Vice President for Finance of the University of Bohol.