At an age when most children are just beginning grade school, 7-year-old Alonzo D. Dela Rosa of Puerto Princesa City, Palawan, has already taken his place on an international podium.
Competing at the Asian Open Schools Invitational (AOSI) Short Course Swimming Championships, held September 6–7 at Assumption University’s Aquatic Center in Bangkok, Thailand, Dela Rosa, known as Alon to his teammates at Begin To Swim Puerto Princesa, secured a remarkable nine medals: three gold, five silver, and one bronze. He was also named Most Outstanding Swimmer (3rd place) in his age group.
The AOSI meet, organized by Global Aquatics and sanctioned by the Thailand Aquatics Association, drew swimmers from 14 countries across Southeast Asia and beyond.
Unlike long-course Olympic events, the competition uses a 25-meter short-course format, which emphasizes underwater strength, turns, and technical precision, areas that can accelerate the development of younger athletes.
For many delegations, the Bangkok event is a proving ground, a chance for school-aged swimmers to gain international exposure while preparing for national programs and larger competitions.
Even as the competition closed with established nations securing team honors, the image that endured was that of a boy from Palawan, weighed down by medals larger than himself.
