De La Rosa smashes 50m Long Course record

MORIBA DE LA ROSA set a new national record, in the boys eight-and-under 50 metre backstroke, as the National Age Group Long Course Swimming Championships at Marlins Swim Pool, Westmoorings continued.

The Blue Dolphins representative whipped his field to win Saturday’s final in 38.63 seconds, well inside the previous mark of 38.95 set by Stuart Pascal in December 1986. Kareem Baptiste of Stingrays was a distant second in 42.90 with Christian Awah of Tidal Wave third in 47.04. De La Rosa will later claim the 50m breaststroke in 47.07 seconds, ahead of clubmate Daniel Tardieu 49.70 and Josiah Morales of Stingrays 55.57. Also winning double gold were Marlins’ Melanie Charles, in the girls 15-and-over, as well as the Piranha Aquatics duo of Kimba Collymore, in the girls 13-14s, and Andre Schamber, in the boys 13-14. Charles was victorious in the 200m freestyle in two minutes 21.94 seconds, with Shimonah Lutchmedial taking silver in 2:40.44 and another Piranha swimmer Collette Joseph bronze in 2:43.91; and the 200m individual medley in 2:44.57, with Krystal Huggins of Stingrays second in 3:02.55 and Joseph third in 3:08.19.

Collymore took the 50m backstroke in 38.24, followed by the Flying Fish pair of Charese McDonald 40.41 and Camille Brown 40.67, and the 200m individual medley in 2:41.79, ahead of Marlins’ Chantal Redon 2:48.74 and fellow Piranha, Whitney Wint 2:49.17. The younger sister of ace national swimmer Ayeisha will later take bronze in the 200m freestyle in 2:24.51, behind Redon 2:22.83 and Donna Marie Wickham of Tidal Wave 2:24.38. Schamber won the 100m backstroke in 1:08.73, followed by Marlins’ Jules Graham 1:12.62 and Piranhas’ John Ross Andrews 1:12.88, and the 200m IM in 2:30.10, ahead of Graham 2:31.52 and Jarryd Gregoire of (Marlins 2:39.11. The five-day meet was expected to conclude last night.

Other results:  Girls 8-and-under 50m backstroke: 1.Kimberlee John-Williams (Piranhas) 40.17; 2.Cardesha Lyons (Stingrays) 41.81; 3.Khadija Thornhill (Stingrays) 44.59.
Boys 11-12 200m freestyle: 1.Joel Sankar (La Joya) 2:23.12; 2.Nathan Percy (Marlins) 2:26.41; 3.Osei Campbell (Flying Fish) 2:26.86.
Boys 13-14 200m freestyle: 1.John Ross Andrews (Piranhas) 2:12.09; 2.Andre Schamber (Piranhas) 2:12.72; 3.Gregory Lambie (Marlins) 2:13.91.
Girls 15-and-over 50m breaststroke: 1.Sobenna George (Marlins) 37.20; 2.Krystal Huggins (Stingrays) 39.18; 3.Rohini Mankee (Flying Fish) 43.32.
Girls 8-and-under 50m backstroke: 1.Cardesha Lyons 47.77; 2.Kimberlee John-Williams (Piranhas) 49.11; 3.Khadija Thornhill (Stingrays) 52.56.
Girls 13-14 100m backstroke: 1.Donna Marie Wickham 1:13.98; 2.Whitney Wint (Piranhas) 1:20.65; 3.Dayna Jacob (Marlins) 1:24.23.
Girls 15-and-over 100m backstroke: 1.Renee Pouchet (Blue Dolphins) 1:15.87; 2.Shimonah Lutchmedial 1:23.07; 3.Rohini Mankee 1:23.87.
Boys 15-and-over 100m backstroke: 1.Tron Johnson (Marlins) 1:03.24; 2.Orlando Thom (Tidal Wave) 1:03.98; 3.Vincent Tardieu (Blue Dolphins) 1:06.71.