SAINT Lucia Aquatics Federation (SLAF) celebrated 41 years of Independence this past Sunday (1st March 2020) with the staging of the annual Independence Swim Challenge Meet at the Rodney Heights Aquatic Center (RHAC). The one-day event which was dubbed “Last chance to qualify for CARIFTA” saw approximately 138 swimmers competiting.
The participating clubs were – Seajays Swim Club, Sharks Swim Club, Lightning Aquatics, RHAC Swim Club, Southern Flying Fish and RR Aquatics competed at the swim challenge in an effort to improve their times.
According to Sue Monplaisir, Public Relations Officer for SLAF, The swim challenge also served as a last chance for swimmers to attempt to achieve the qualifying times set by SLAF to represent Saint Lucia at the upcoming Carifta Swim Championship scheduled for Saturday 11th – 15th April 2020 in Barbados.
The SeaJays Swim Club emerged winner with 694.5 points, followed by the Sharks Swim Club in second place with 542.50 points; 3rd place -Lightning Aquatics with 493 points; 4th place – Southern Flying Fish with 272.5 points; 5th – RR Aquatic Swim Club with 264.5 points; 6th – Unattached with 64 points and 7th – RHAC Swim Club with 34 points.
Coming on the heels on his remarkable performance at the UANA Swimming Cup in Lima, Peru, Tristan Dorville continued his good run on form by setting three records in the 11-12 boys category.
Tristan held the most recent records in the 50 metre Freestyle and 100 metres Butterfly. He broke them again with a time of 25.76 seconds in the 50 metre Freestyle and a time of 1:03.38 seconds in the 100 metres Butterfly.
The 3rd record for the day went he broke the 200 Short Course (SC) Individual Medley (IM) which was previously held by Terrel Monplaisir set in 2015. Tristan set the new record with a time of 2:21.53 seconds.
Monplaisir said, “With all efforts made to swim the qualifying times for Carifta, there were no additional names to the list of swimmers qualifying for the 2020 Carifta Team”.
According to Monplaisir, SLAF has scheduled a meeting for this week to ratify the swimmers making the qualifying times. The team chosen to represent Saint Lucia will be announced in the upcoming days.
Here are some of the top performances on the day: Girls 8 & Under 200 Short Course (SC)metre freestyle – 1st Amara Reece (3:23.86 seconds/ Lighting Aquatic/LA); Girls 9-10 200 SC metres freestyle – 1st Marise Kayla Inglis (3:41.48 RR Aquatic/RRA); Boys 8 & Under 200 SC metres freestyle 1st James Sylvester (3:12.16 seconds/ SeaJays/SJ); Boys 9-10 200 metres SC freestyle 1st Noah Dorville (2:54.33/SJ); Girls 13-14 200 SC metre freestyle 1st Caitlin Polius (2:34.22 seconds/SJ); Boys 15 and Over 200 SC metre freestyle 1st Jeannot Walters (2:29.80 seconds/SJ).
Girls 8 & Under 100 SC metre IM 1st Jordyn Bishamber (2:11.57 seconds/RRA); Girls 8 &Under 100 SC metres 1st Anya Sadoo (1:45.61 seconds/SJ); Boys 8 &Under 100 SC metre IM 1st Maxime Larrieu (1:36.31 seconds/SJ); Boys 9-10 100 SC metres IM 1st Noah Dorville (1:34.87/ SJ), 2nd Nathaniel Popo (1:38.36 seconds/RRA), 3rd Omar Gabriel (1:38.80 seconds/SJ). Girls 11-12 200 SC metre IM 1st Jaida Henry (3:31.62 seconds/SJ); Girls 13 -14 200 SC metre IM 1st Maliyah Henry (3:15.03 seconds/ Southern Flying Fish/SSF); Boys 11-12 200 SC Metre IM 1st Tristan Dorville (2:21.53 seconds/SJ); Boys 13-14 200 SC metre IM 1st D’Andre Blanchard (2:20.70 seconds/SJ); Boys &Over 200 SC metre IM 1st Felix Federick (2:51.65 seconds/SJ); Girls 8 &Under 25 SC metre butterfly 1st Isabel Anius (21.96 seconds/SFF); Boys 8 &Under 25 SC metre butterfly 1st Tre Theresine (24.34 seconds/SJ).
Top Individual Scores: Girls 8 &Under – 1st Zaina Brathwaite (27 pts/SSC); 2nd Amara Reece (25 pts/LA); Isabel Anius (23 pts/SFF). Boys 8 & Under – 1st James Sylvester (25 pts/ SJ); 2nd Daniel Ambler (23 pts/LA); 3rd Maxime Larrieu (23 pts/ SJ).
Girls 9-10: 1st Anya Sadoo (27 pts/SJ); 2nd Davyier Ferdinand (24 pts/SFF); 3rd Marise Kayla – Inglis 18.50 pts/RRA). Boys 9-10 1st Noah Dorville (27 pts/SJ) 2nd Jahson Felix 25pts/LA), 3rd Aaron Charles (25 pts/LA).
Girls 11-12 1st Alexandra Bristol (27 pts/LA); 2nd Jasmine Steide (25 pts/SSC); 3rd Isabelle Esper (23 pts/ SSC). Boys 11 -12 1st Tristan Dorville (27 pts/SJ); 2nd Therron Herelle (27 pts/SJ); 3rd Ethan Hazell (23 pts/LA)
Girls 13-14 1st Naima Hazell (27 pts/LA); 2nd Naekeisha Louis (27 pts/LA); 3rd Courtney Paul (23 pts/LA). Boys 13 -14 1st D’Andre Blanchard (27 pts/SJ), 2nd Taj Felix (25 pts/SSC); 3rd Ansel Jules (22 pts/SJ).
Girls 15 &Over 1st Shalini Joseph (27 pts/Unattached); 2nd Sade Joseph (27 pts/SJ); 3rd Britney Edwin (21 pts/LA). Boys 15 &Over 1st Nicholas (25 pts/SJ); 2nd Allandre Cross (24 pts/SSC); Jeannot Walters (23 pts/SJ).
