Batallones swims to new 100m breaststroke records

National swimmer Maria Batallones swam to a new CNMI national record and the 15- to 16-year-old age group record in the 100m breaststroke during the 2024 World Aquatics Championships held in Doha, Qatar last Monday.

With her time of 1:19.79, she beat a long-standing 24-year national record time of 1:20.69 that was set by Xenavee Pangelinan in March 30, 2000.

Batallones also improved upon the record she set last November in the 15-16-year-old age group, which was 1:20.86.

The 15-year-old Marianas High School student-athlete was in Heat 1 of the race and placed eighth with her time of 1:19.79, while she placed 48th overall.

She said during her race, she kept in mind what her former teammate Juhn Tenorio told her. “I spoke to him the night before my race, and he gave me really great advice that stuck to me throughout the race. So I would say he really helped me through this race.”

When she saw her time on display after her race, Batallones said, “nothing felt better than seeing my time on the big screen. I was really overwhelmed with joy. It felt like all the time I spent training was worth it.”

She dedicated her accomplishment to her parents who always believe in her, her friends who are understanding, and her teammates for their continuous support. She added, “Of course, my coach [Hiroyuki Kimura] and Ms. Yuko [Kimura] who are always there for the team.”

As for how it’s going so far in the Middle East, she said, “Doha so far is really beautiful, definitely very different from Saipan. It’s also pretty cold here. Overall we’re doing fine!”

Head coach Hiroyuki Kimura was excited about Batallones’ record-breaking swim. He exclaimed, “We finally broke [the] 1-minute 20-second barrier in [the] female 100m breastsroke! In CNMI swimming history, there were a lot of female breastsroker, but no one reached 1:19. Maria is still 15 years old! Usually, the national record time is made either by a 17- or 18-year-old swimmer, therefore, this national record set by Maria is so amazing.”

He added that he has been training Batallones hard. He said, “I saw her crying in the pool several times because the workouts are very tough and painful. People easily say, “Hard work pays off”. However, was it hard work? It is not a decision made by the person himself or herself, but is expressed by the results. Maria has worked harder than any CNMI female swimmers before her, which is why she was able to reach a time that no one else had reached in 40 years.”

Fellow national team swimmer Isaiah Aleksenko’s races in the 200m butterfly and 200m individual medley have not started yet as of press time.

Both Batallones and Aleksenko are joined by head coach Kimura and Northern Marianas Swimming Federation representative Richard Sikkel.

Batallones and Aleksenko topped the selection process for the two slots available for the 2024 World Aquatics Championships. All CNMI swimmers that participated in the 2023 Pacific Games in Honiara were eligible and Aleksenko and Batallones earned the most FINA points (average of Top 3 events) with 700 points and 531 points, respectively.