Blackman sets first national record at Aquatic Centre

Swimming in lane four, in heat two, the Marlins Swim Club competitor dethroned Zarek Wilson’s time of 2:17:89, which broke his (Blackman’s) former record last month.

Blackman qualified with a time of 2:19:55 and always looked in quality shape, in the build-up to the competition, according to his coach Maurice Faria. Elaborating on his athlete’s form, Faria noted, “Nikoli nearly broke another record (yesterday) morning, in the Boys 9-10 50m backstroke, just missing out on that one by seven-tenth of a second.” He went on to state that he is proud of this historical moment as Blackman was the first athlete to break a national record in the first meet held at the Aquatic Centre.

Being involved in swimming for the last 34 years, Faria said the pool was a fast one and, coupled with the excitement of the swimmers, he expects fast times throughout the competition, which ends today.