Anthony siblings splash to National Long Course golds

The meet serves as the final qualifier the 11 and over age group swimmers for the CARIFTA Championships and is also a qualifier for the CCCAN Championships which will be held in this country.

The finals of the Boys 9-10 100m butterfly saw Zachary Anthony of Marlins Swim Club copping the gold medal in a time of 1:20.11, followed closely by Giovanni Rivas of Flying Fish Swim Club who touched the wall in 1:20.17. Quillon Leera of Tidal Wave Aquatics copped bronze, stopping the clock at 1:26.52.

In the finals of the Girls 11-12 50m butterfly, Zachary’s clubmate and older sister, Zoe, showed impressive form in the water as she secured CARIFTA and CCCAN qualifying in 31.99 seconds.

Neishelah Caseman of Tidal Wave came in second, clocking 32.75 seconds, while her clubmate, Gabrielle Vickles, took the bronze medal in a time of 32.96 seconds.

Amateur Swimming Association of Trinidad and Tobago (ASATT ) president, Wendell Lai Hing, spoke to Newsday during the preliminary events, stating he was pleased with the turnout of supporters.

“I am not surprised the stands are filling up nicely due to the fact that over 280 athletes registered for the event; it was also the last qualifying opportunity for these athletes for the upcoming tournaments, so it is always lovely to see the supporters and lovers of the sport come out to view the young talant,” he said.

Lai Hing also took the time to urge the public to attend the Championships and utilise the facility which he says will help push aquatic sports in the right direction.

He said large crowds are beneficial to the athletes as it acts as a motivational factor for them.

Last evening saw the official opening ceremony of the meet as the main event continues this evening at 6pm and tomorrow morning at 9 am. The tournament concludes on Sunday night.