Facing the pressure of a family legacy, Bea Batungbacal strives to live up to her family name in the swimming scene of the University Athletics Association of the Philippines (UAAP). With the bar set high by her brothers, former Blue Eagle Robie Batungbacal and current Ateneo Men’s Swimming team captain Aldo Batungbacal, the sophomore backstroker has taken it upon herself to exceed all expectations that come with being a Batungbacal. Despite coming up short in the finals of Season 79, she enters this upcoming season unfazed with a strong heart and sound mind.
“I think that it doesn’t really matter what the [finishing] time is, as long as you give your 110%. It’s best to stay positive because in a sport like swimming [because] it’s really frustrating after a month of training, you gain seconds rather than lose them,” she says. “It’s important to stay positive and keep motivating yourself.”
Diving in
Growing up in a household composed of two older brothers who became UAAP Swimming champions, the youngest Batungbacal found herself being heavily influenced by her parents to learn the sport when she was only five years old. After only a year of swimming, Bea soon followed her brothers’ footsteps, making the jump from the leisure side of the sport to the world of competitive swimming.
Throughout her high school years, Batungbacal would constantly don the colors of her alma mater, St. Pedro Poveda College, as she represented the school in the pools of the Women’s National College Athletic Association swimming tournament.
By the time she graduated from high school, Batungbacal already had an impressive resume of swimming experience under her belt by participating in international competitions such as the Malaysia Open Swimming Championship 2015 and several editions of the Singapore National Age Group Swimming Championships.
UAAP career
Arriving at the college scene, Batungbacal was immediately pushed into the limelight as the Ateneo’s star recruit. However, she admitted that her being hard on herself has affected her swimming performance.
“The pressure I put on myself [for Season 79] was really heavy; I think that’s part of the reason why I didn’t perform as great as I wanted to. But in the end, I have no regrets because I’ve been watching the UAAP since I was a little girl due to my brothers. I think that the fact that I was able to join the team to swim and compete is a good accomplishment, so that’s something that I’m really proud of,” she says.
Shoes to fill
Despite the heavy expectation on her young shoulders, the Batungbacal name does not burden the Season 80 veteran. Quite the opposite, the pressure gives her confidence as she journeys to the top of the collegiate pool. “My brothers were able to do it, so why can’t I?” she says.
With her positive disposition and undying will to succeed, the youngest Batungbacal sibling is certainly on the right track to carry on her family legacy of swimming excellence.
