Brothers Ziggo and Caleb Pablo collect 19 golds, 11 silvers, and 9 bronzes in 6 swimming competitions
03 Jan 2023 | Reported by Cathy Pablo
Ateneo de Manila Grade School students Ziggo Pablo (4-Lakandula) and younger brother Caleb Pablo (1-Malikhain) have both been making waves in swimming since July, winning dozens of medals and “Most Outstanding Swimmer” awards from various tournaments. Not bad considering the boys only started formal swimming training in June 2022 under coach Sherwin dela Paz! Both brothers also tried out for the AGS swim team and passed the tryouts, and are now being coached by Krystal Dela Cruz. Both Sherwin and Krystal have been instrumental in the development of the boys, whose favorite style is breaststroke and least favorite is freestyle.


Swimming has brought Ziggo and Caleb to the pools of Valle Verde Country Club, the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex, and even the New Clark City Aquatic Center in Tarlac, to name a few. Here is a summary of the medals and awards they have won since late July:
1. Valle Verde Country Club Novice Invitational Swim Meet (30 July 2022)
· Ziggo (9-year-olds): 1 gold (100m freestyle relay); 1 bronze (25m freestyle)
· Caleb (6-year-olds): 6 golds (100m relay, 100m freestyle, 25m butterfly, 25m breaststroke, 25m freestyle, 25m backstroke) + Most Outstanding Swimmer Award
2. Philippine Swimming League (PSL) Long Course Swim Series NCR Leg 2 (20 August 2022)
· Caleb: 3 golds (100m breaststroke, 100m butterfly, 100m backstroke) + Most Outstanding Swimmer Award
3. 86th Central Northern Luzon Cordillera Swimming Coaches Association (CNLCSCA) Swim Series- Short Course (10-11 September 2022)
· Ziggo: 2 silvers (50m breaststroke, 50m backstroke) + 2 bronzes (100m freestyle, 200m medley)
· Caleb: 3 golds (100m breaststroke, 100m butterfly, 50m butterfly) + 2 silvers (100m freestyle, 50m backstroke) + Most Outstanding Swimmer Award
4. Congress of the Philippine Aquatics (COPA) Inc.: The Open - Class C- Novice Sprint Swim Championship (24 September 2022)
· Ziggo: 1 gold (200m medley mystery) + 2 silvers (50m backstroke, 50m breaststroke) + Most Outstanding Swimmer Award
· Caleb: 4 golds (100m butterfly, 50m butterfly, 50m breaststroke, 50m backstroke) + 1 silver (100m freestyle) + 1 bronze (50m backstroke) + Most Outstanding Swimmer Award
5. COPA: The Reunion Swim Challenge Leg 3 (22-23 October 2022)
· Caleb: 2 bronzes (50m breaststroke, 50m butterfly)
6. COPA: The Grand Reunion Swim Challenge Championships (19-20 November 2022)
· Ziggo: 2 silvers (25m butterfly, 25m freestyle) + 2 bronzes (25m freestyle, 25m backstroke)
· Caleb: 1 gold (25m butterfly) + 2 silvers (25m freestyle, 25m breaststroke) + 1 bronze (25m backstroke)
Cathy Pablo, the mom of Ziggo and Caleb, reports that the brothers “are having fun swimming with their teammates, training with coaches Krystal and Sherwin, and trying to win more medals.”