Swimming records tumble

FOUR Trinidad and Tobago records went tumbling on Thursday as the National Long Course Age Group Swimming Championships continued at the Marlins Swim Pool, Westmoor-ings. Cadell Lyons of Stingrays smashed the first record of the five-day competition, clocking 30.40 seconds to win the Boys 9-10 50-metre butterfly, 0.13 seconds below the 1992 mark set by Matthew Houllier. Christian Homer took silver in 31.92 and Ryan Rigues, bronze in 34.00. Lyons returned later in the evening to claim the 50m backstroke in 34.21, bettering the previous standard set by Houllier (34.32) set 11 years ago. Homer (35.48) and Tidal Wave's Cristopher Buffong (36.43) captured silver and bronze respectively. Lyons was also victorious in the 50m freestyle in 29.15, followed by Homer 29.56 and Rigues 29.99 Marlins' Melanie Charles erased Shastine Rajack 18-and-over Girls 200m backstroke mark of 2:40.27; Charles won the Girls 15-and-over event in 2:40.21 with Shimonah Lutchmedial of Piranhas 2:54.10 and Rohini Mankee of Flying Fish 3:06.11 following.

And Janine Thornhill of Stingrays, the lone TT gold medallist at the recent CCCAN Championships, touched the wall in 1:09.89 in the Girls' 11-12 100m backstroke, ahead of the Piranha duo of Brittany Stewart 1:13.27 and Nirmala Ramkelewan 1:23.10. Thornhill's new mark wiped out Cerian Gibbes' 1995 time of 1:10.53. The 12-year-old also won the 100 free in 1:02.11, 200m free in 2:22.11, 200m individual medley in 2:43.99 and 50m free in 28 seconds flat. Last year's "Female Swimmer of the Year" Linda McEachrane, recovering from an ear infection which ruled her out of the CCCAN splash, won five golds on the day - the Girls 15-and-over 100 free in 58.82, 100m breaststroke in 1:17.79, 200m free in 2:11.53, 200m individual medley in 2:29.18 and 50m free in 26.73. The male equivalent, George Bovell, preparing for the World Champion-ships in Spain, won the Boys 15-and-over 100 free in 51.65. National swimmer Shannon Duval of Marlins took gold in the 13-14 100 free in 1:02.89, the 100m breaststroke in 1:17.68 and 50m free in 28.84.