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A pair of Filipinos have created a splash in more ways than one after footage of their botched dives at the SEA Games caused such a stir that authorities demanded answers.
Footage of John Elmerson Fabriga and John David Pahoyo has gone viral after both athletes, on their fourth dive in the men’s 3m springboard, landed nearly horizontal, scoring zero points.
Reaction has been mixed to the duo dubbed the “Splash Brothers”, with some Internet users poking fun and others calling for restraint.
But their performance has made waves with Philippine Sport Commission chairman Richie Garcia, who is reportedly seeking an explanation from aquatics chief Mark Joseph.
“I will give the opportunity for the Philippine Swimming Inc. president to explain because he fought for these divers to come here and compete,” Garcia said, according to Inquirer.net. “I saw these boys train at Rizal Memorial and they are good.”
Garcia also wondered whether the dives were intentionally bad, according to the report.
Fabriga and Pahoyo, who finished about 100 points adrift of their competitors, are not the only divers to underwhelm at the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Singapore.
Some competitors in the women’s 10m platform chose to dive from 7.5m or even 5m, and many also landed awkwardly, drawing murmurs from the Aquatics Centre crowd.
Text: AFP
