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MANILA, Philippines – At the 2025 Palarong Pambansa, 12-year-old swimmers from Las Piñas — Findlay Jake Mackenzie and Yohan Quincy Hapilos — clinched gold in the 4x50m Freestyle Relay (Elementary Boys), turning years of early mornings and disciplined training into national triumph.
First-timers Mackenzie and Hapilos finished their laps in 29.28 and 29.50 seconds, respectively.
Not long ago, one of them was ready to quit, while the other barely finished two laps in a pool. Now, both are national gold medalists.
Swimming into the spotlight
Before the Palarong Pambansa, swimming for Mackenzie was only a basic life skill to be learned, not a sport to pursue seriously. Growing up in a family of football players, swimming didn’t come naturally into the picture.
“My mom cannot swim, so she made us [take] swimming [classes] so that we can learn to swim in an emergency,” Mackenzie shared.
What started as a precaution soon transformed into something more. In 2023, coach Aljon Salonga saw something special in him.
“What truly stood out was his remarkable ability to listen carefully to my stroke corrections and techniques. He was eager to learn and took every piece of advice to heart,” Coach Aljon said, even recalling how coaching Mackenzie felt like working with a much older athlete, who can take every higher-level drill set in the pool.
That same year, Mackenzie joined competitions and instantly made waves. He was named Most Outstanding Swimmer in five events: the Ilustre Cup, 2023 and 2024 Inter-school National Athletics Championships, the Hangzhou International Swimming Invitational, and PCA Stingrays.
But behind all the medals and recognitions, the sport didn’t immediately win him over.
As a morning person, he disliked training in the morning. Juggling it with responsibilities as a student was also difficult.
It wasn’t until he noticed his improvement that something shifted.
“After I realized that I was getting good, I was like maybe, I think I need a second chance to really train my heart out.”
Not wanting to waste a talent he was only beginning to appreciate, Mackenzie committed fully by training consistently, even on days when he was sick.
“Ever since last year, after I said that maybe swimming wasn’t so bad, that’s when I realized that it’s worth it because seeing the achievements that you get is really satisfying,” he said.
When Palarong Pambansa was just a month away, Mackenzie trained with no breaks for two hours a day. On some days, they also had to do double training. And despite the early morning calls, Mackenzie did not skip any day, considering that missing a day means missing out on a lot.
And it’s true what they say, perseverance goes a long way.
On top of the relay gold, Mackenzie won three more golds in the 50m Butterfly, 200m Individual Medley, and 4x50m Medley Relay. He also bagged three silver medals in 50m, 100m, and 200m Freestyle, bringing home a total of seven medals.
7 MEDALS. Findlay with all the medals he bagged. Photo by Steven Mackenzie/Facebook.Swimming past setbacks
Hapilos’ swimming journey is almost similar to Mackenzie’s, though his began simply as a summer activity when Coach Robert Liwanag noticed his potential.
Upon seeing Hapilos in the water, Coach Liwanag immediately recognized talent.
“It was clear that this talent wasn’t fully realized yet; it needed the necessary support, guidance, and environment for the talent to grow.”
When Hapilos first started swimming, even two laps in a 25-meter pool felt too much. He also did not start as a champion.
In his first swimming competition at Halloween Swim Camp last October 2023, he was only a 2nd-placer in all events. In other competitions that followed, he would bring home bronze medals or none at all.
“It was tiring, but I never gave up and pursued my love for the water.”
Slowly but surely, Hapilos improved. With regular practice, swimming started to feel easier.
Last year, he competed but lost in the 2024 NCR Regional Meet. Due to this, he was not able to qualify for the Palarong Pambansa.
“I had no idea what was at stake, so I treated it as one of the competitions where we just made sure that the next time around I would be better,” he shared.
This year, he joined the NCR Regional Meet again. To qualify for the Palarong Pambansa, he needed to win gold.
He trained harder than ever, this time around, knowing what was at stake. But like many kids his age, Hapilos admitted that sometimes he just wanted to rest or play with his gadgets.
“There [were] days I [did] not feel like doing training, but that [was] where my parents came in. They advised me to keep going and reminded me of the benefits,” he said.
In the end, his hard work paid off when he clinched his first gold medal in the 100m Butterfly, a recognition that would later lead him to winning another gold.
YOUNG CHAMP. Yohan in the Palarong Pambansa held in Laoag, Ilocos Norte. Photo by Eugene Quincy/Facebook.“Super happy and proud for several reasons. He was the smallest in the NCR team, yet his contribution was significant,” expressed Eugene Quincy, his proud father. “His hard work and sacrifice paid off.”
Swimming ahead
With the Palarong Pambansa victories in their records, the young champs are already looking forward to what’s next.
Mackenzie is taking on a more competitive edge, setting his sights beyond national competition as he aspires to join the SEA (Southeast Asian) Age Group Swimming Championship someday. To do this, he’s committed to training even harder than he did for Palaro.
“I feel like I can try SEA Age because look at the freebies, I at least want records. I want to get noticed by people, I want to get recognized in public,” he added.
Meanwhile, Hapilos plans to continue training and aims to qualify for next year’s Palarong Pambansa. To prepare, Hapilos and his coach intend to maintain double training sessions whenever possible, especially during school vacations.
With gold medals around their necks and bigger dreams ahead, Mackenzie and Hapilos are ready to dive even deeper and swim their way to more wins in the future.—Rappler.com
Angela Ballerda is a Mover, or a Rappler civic engagement volunteer, from Las Piñas City. She is a campus journalist at Ateneo de Manila University, currently serving as the Broadcast News Producer of The GUIDON.
