Five make CARIFTA Games swimming qualifying standards
Raekwon Noel, Lian Winter, Leon Seaton, Aleka Persaud and Patrice Mahaica are set to represent Guyana at this year’s CARIFTA Games swimming championships once they are selected by the Guyana Amateur Swimming Association.
The championships are scheduled for March 30- April 3 in Jamaica.
The five swimmers made the qualifying standards for their respective events at GASA’s annual republic Anniversary (Mash Meet) and Carfita Games qualifiers which wrapped up last weekend at the National Aquatic Centre.
Noel, of the Swim Academy Sea Otters Club, made light of his competitors, going unbeaten in the boys 11-12 age group.
On Saturday afternoon he recorded his first qualifying time in the 200m Individual Medley (IM) when he swam 2:41:53s faster than the 2:44:00s.
Noel also made the qualifying standard in the 400m freestyle.
In order to qualify for the 400m freestyle event, swimmers had to better 5:11:00s. Noel outswam the other participants, finishing in 4:56:17s.
He next, swam 2:19:47s, bettering the qualifying standard of 2:20:00s in the 200 freestyle event.
After narrowly missing the set time for the 50m butterfly event, Noel qualified for the 100m butterfly event clocking 1:11:09s for which the qualifying standard was 1:12:00s.
Aleka Persaud is set to make her CARIFTA Games debut in the girls 11-12 year-old category.
The 2017 Goodwill Swimming Championships 9-10 champion made the qualifying standard in the 50m butterfly on Saturday clocking 32:38s, faster than the 32:57s qualifying time.
She also swam 30:12s in the 50m freestyle, for which the qualifying standard is 30:17s.
Mahaica of the Dolphin Swim Club clocked 34.72s in the 50m backstroke event, bettering the qualifying time of 34:75 while Winter and Seaton both recorded qualifying times in the 13-14 girls and boys age group respectively.
Dorado Swim Club’s Winter, qualified in the 200m butterfly.
The only girl of her age group to swim the race, Winter swam 3:04:90s to better the qualifying standard of 3:08:00s.
Silver Shark Swim Club’s Seaton swam the 13-14 boys 50m freestyle race in 25:35s. The qualifying standard is 26:02s