Remedy Rule Not Defined by DQs; Will Proudly Represent The Philippines in Tokyo<\/strong><\/p>\n

At some point in every swimmer\u2019s career, disappointment and frustration will be their reality. For Remedy<\/strong> Rule<\/strong>, that frustration meant that the best swim of her career, officially, never happened. In 2017, when Rule was a sophomore at the University of Texas, she had qualified for an individual final at the NCAA championships for the first time in the 200-yard butterfly. She was close to the lead for the first 150 yards and ended up touching third in 1:52.92, a full second quicker than her lifetime best.<\/p>\n

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Remedy Rule at a 2018 dual meet — Photo Courtesy: Blake Benard<\/p><\/div>\n
\u201cIt took longer to move past because I would never have a chance to compete for Texas again,\u201d Rule said. \u201cI was grieving the end of my collegiate career, both in that it was ending and it didn\u2019t end how I wanted. And I think it\u2019s okay, necessary even, for us to grieve all types of loss, including loss of goals and transitions in life.\u201d<\/p>\n
For most swimmers, that would have been it, their swimming career ended on the roughest note possible. That\u2019s the brutal reality for most swimmers, even after a devastating final note like a DQ. Rule had achieved some success in the long course pool, finishing eighth in the 200 fly at U.S. Nationals in 2017 and 12th in the event a year later, but she did not see a legitimate possibility of representing the United States in the Olympics. But during her senior year of college, she decided to pursue competing for the Philippines.<\/p>\n
Rule is a native of Crozet, Va., but her mother was born in the Philippines, so she was eligible to gain citizenship. After completing that process, she now holds dual citizenship with both the United States and the Philippines, and competing as a member of the Philippine national team has brought a sense of cultural fulfillment.<\/p>\n
\u201cI felt I had more to give on the long course stage. I wanted to swim post college representing a team and the Philippines gave me that opportunity,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s special being able to swim for the Philippines. I get to do what I love, swimming, and connect with my culture on my mom\u2019s side. I\u2019ve felt a unique connection meeting my Filipino teammates having a shared background. There were a handful of occasions when I spoke with my teammates and thought, \u2018Oh, I grew up like that, too!\u201d<\/p>\n
Her first meet representing her new home country was the 2019 World Championships, and Rule swam four events, finishing as high as 19th in the 200 fly. A few months later, she won five medals at the Southeast Asian Games, including silver in the 200 fly and bronze in the 200 free. She swam the fastest long course 200 fly of her career in March 2020 at the TYR Pro Swim Series in Des Moines, Iowa, at 2:09.58, just before the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the world and delayed the 2020 Olympics to 2021.<\/p>\n
In 2021, Rule swam a lifetime best in the 100 fly of 59.55 at a meet in Austin in May, and her top 200 fly was a 2:10.90 at a meet in Mission Viejo in June. At the beginning of July, she revealed that she had been officially selected as one of two swimmers representing the Philippines at the Tokyo Olympics, along with sprint freestyler Luke<\/strong> Gebbie<\/strong> on the men\u2019s side.<\/p>\n
The will be her last meet of her swimming career. After that, Rule plans to attend the University of Miami to pursue a Masters of Professional Science focusing on marine biology<\/a>. The finality of the Olympics means that the Mission Viejo meet was her last representing Texas after six years and her last meet with her parents in attendance. Her perspective on the swansong of her swimming career? \u201cOverwhelming gratitude,\u201d Rule said.<\/p>\n
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A post shared by Remedy Rule (@remedyrule)<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n