He has made a good account of himself in the 32nd SEA Games.
Jerard Jacinto passed another test in record fashion on Sunday in swimming in the 32nd Southeast Asian (SEA) Games. But it wasn't probably the test he was most worried about.
He set a second national record in this year's biennial meet after clocking in at 25.77 seconds to top the preliminaries of the men's 50-meter backstroke at the Morodok Techo National Stadium in Cambodia.
Last night, he broke his own record in the men's 100-meter backstroke after clocking in at 55.99 seconds, eclipsing the 56.27 seconds he posted in the World Junior Championships in Hungary in 2019. Jacinto won the bronze medal, his first-ever medal in the SEA Games, after finishing behind the Singaporean duo of Quah Zheng Wen and Farrel Armandio Tangkas.
It has been quite an eventful SEA Games, to say the least, for the 22-year-old Jacinto, who just celebrated his birthday last Friday.
"I'm so happy. I just cannot believe that this has been happening. I'm on cloud nine. It feels so surreal. I'm just blessed and thankful to represent the country," said Jacinto in an interview with One Sports' Cesca Litton-Kalaw.
He also admitted that he idolized Quah and Tangkas growing up, so it was quite unbelievable for him to be standing next to them on the podium last night.
"That brings me so much joy. I was just overwhelmed with emotions," added Jacinto, who's in his third stint in the SEA Games.
He, however, is not only focused on swimming. He has another test to take before the finals of the men's 50-meter backstroke later at 6 p.m.
"I have an accounting finals later, so I still have to do that," said Jacinto, who studied high school at De La Salle Zobel and is now with Lewis University in Illinois, with a laugh. "Wish me luck on that one."
So far, it seems he doesn't need any. He has made a good account of himself.