Gebbie, Rule join Pinoy athletes to Tokyo

Filipino athletes competing at the Tokyo Olympics now total 19 with the addition of two swimmers – Filipino-New Zealander Luke Gebbie and Filipino-American Remedy Rule.

Philippine Swimming Inc. (PSI) President Lailani Velasco said Gebbie and Rule got qualified under the International Olympic Committee’s universality rule.

“I am happy for both of them as I have seen them work hard the last few months trying to get back to form despite the pandemic,” said Velasco.

The 19-athlete Team Philippines going to the Tokyo Olympics – who will participate in 11 sports— is the second biggest delegation after Sydney 2000 (20 athletes) when the IOC started imposing qualifying standards for the Games.

The 24-year-old Gebbie, who is currently training in Melbourne, Australia, said “I was just at home when I found out. I’m very, very happy about it so I’ll do my best.”

FINA Swimming Entries Coordinator Pedro Adrega informed PSI that Gebbie and Rule were invited as the highest-ranked Filipino swimmers in accordance with FINA’s 2021 Points Table which was achieved last June.

Gebbie will be swimming in the men’s 50- and 100-meter freestyle. He has a best time of 49.94 seconds in the 100m and 22.57 seconds in the 50m which he achieved in the 2019 world championships in South Korea.

Rule, also 24 who lives in Texas in the US, will be entered in the 200m butterfly with a personal best 2:09.58, and 200m freestyle after registering 2:00.35.

Gebbie was a silver medalist in the 4x100m freestyle relay and a bronze medalist in the 50m freestyle in the 2019 Southeast Asian Games, while Rule captured silver medals in 200m butterfly and 4×100 freestyle and bronze medals in the 200m freestyle and 4×200 relay.

Jessie Lacuna and Jasmine Alkhaldi represented the Philippines also under the universality rule in London 2012 and Rio 2016.

Other members of the Philippine contingent are pole vaulter Ernest John Obiena, sprinter Kristina Knott, gymnast Carlos Edriel Yulo, boxers Felix Eumir Marcial, Carlo Paalam, Nesthy Petecio and Irish Magno, as well as rower Cris Nievarez, skateboarder Margielyn Arda Didal, shooter Jayson Valdez, taekwondo jin Kurt Ryan Barbosa and weightlifters Hidilyn Diaz and Elreen Ann Ando.