SWISS-born Israeli Luka Gabrilo, Philippine Swimming, Inc. swimming consultant. — PSI
SWISS-born Israeli Luka Gabrilo, the national swimming team’s consultant, is bringing in a few Olympians that he coached to stage a clinic this week in several parts of the country including one up north in Ilocos Sur and another down south in Davao.
Joining Mr. Gabrilo in the seminar are Youth Olympics and European Championships gold medalist Barbora Seemanova of the Czech Republic and the FINA World Championships silver winner Erik Persson of Sweden.
Also joining the trip is Jan Herber, a former physiotherapist at Royal Dutch Swimming Federation who have brought with him 14 years of experience training the Netherlands top Olympian tankers.
“He will be tasked to instill in our athletes and coaches the importance of movement preparation before workouts and competitions, and a philosophy of connectedness of the whole body,” said Philippine Swimming, Inc. President Lani Velasco of Mr. Herber.
“Messrs. Gabrilo and Herber have been working together for over a year, fusing together their training philosophies to help athletes maximize and reach their full potential,” she added.
Ms. Velasco also said Mr. Gabrilo’s visit marks the beginning of Fil-Canadian Kayla Sanchez’s journey towards a 2024 Paris Olympics berth.
Ms. Sanchez, early this year, is now undergoing residency for her to represent the country in international meets including the Olympics after swimming for Canada where she delivered an Olympic relay silver and bronze.
“Ms. Sanchez will be closely watched by Mr. Gabrilo as she serves her residency in the Philippines in preparation for her debut for the country, hopefully come FINA World Championships in Fukuoka, Japan in July 2023,” said Ms. Velasco.
“The PSI is excited for what the future holds with Mr. Gabrilo guiding our coaches and mentoring our athletes. There will definitely be more of these events to come in the next few months,” she added. — Joey Villar
