TT swimmers earn medals as CCCAN launched

Maglione, the President of CCCAN Felix Calderon, President of ASATT Wendell Lai Hing and the Minister of Sport and Youth Affairs, Darryl Smith.

ASATT president, Lai Hing, said it was a challenge to organise the tournament but said it was heartening to see how everything came together nicely.

“It has been a challenge from the start and it continues to be a challenge, however, when you look at the teams present and the athletes roaring to dive in the pools, being in whichever aquatic discipline, and you see what happens in the pool, you realise that being here and being a part of this is worth the while,” he said.

The athletes and invited guests were serenaded by the Couva Joylanders as they played the steelpan during the opening ceremony and were also treated to special entertainment from the Shiv Shakti Dancers.

With the CCCAN Championships being a part of the sports tourism drive by the Ministry of Sport, Smith said, “With Sports Tourism being at the top of our priorities, it gives me great pleasure to open these gates on behalf of the government of Trinidad and Tobago.

Over the past weeks and weeks to come, we have invited over 75 countries to our shores and 25 of them are here and will be taking part in this CCCAN tournament.” The Minister made note of the country hosting the most international tournaments in a year thus far, stating there is more to come when the nation plays host to the CPL final in September.

Smith distributed medals and trophies for the water polo championships as the awards were distributed during the opening ceremony.

In the first swim event of CCCAN, following the formal launch, the 13-14 Girls took to the main pool for the 800m long course (LC) freestyle where TT’s Jada Chatoor copped the silver medal, finishing the race in nine minutes and 18 seconds, just behind Honduras’ Michelle Ramirez gold medal time of nine minutes and 16 seconds.

Daniela Alfaro (9 minutes, 21 seconds) representing Costa Rica took home the bronze medal in the category.

Jada’s brother, Graham Chatoor, secured the bronze medal position in the Boys 15-17 1500M LC freestyle event, finishing behind Puerto Rican Alexis Soto and Panama’s Andres Lares.

Soto stopped the clock at 16 minutes and 17 seconds to claim gold, followed by silver medallist Lares’ time of 16 minutes and 31 seconds and Chatoor rallying to bronze in 16 minutes and 14 seconds.

TT’s Gabriella Donahue yesterday copped silver in the Girls 13-14 200m breaststroke in 2:48.33 On the second day of swimming action yesterday, Team TTO’s Dylan Cater set a national record in the 18 & Over 100m Butterfly event after darting to the wall in 53:87 seconds, as he led the heat.

N’Nhyn Fernander of the Bahamas finished behind Carter in 55:90 seconds. Team TTO’s Christian Awah finished sixth in the heat and also qualified to the next round with his time of 57:87.

Arielle Dickson copped bronze in the Girls 11-12 200m LC breaststroke in three minutes and nine seconds.

She finished behind Jamaican Sabrina Lyn (3 minutes, 3 seconds) and Mia Neckles (3minutes, 4 seconds) representing Grenada.

In the Mixed 11-12 200M Freestyle preliminary relays, Team TTO was represented by Zarek Wilson, Kadon Williams, Zoe Anthony and Savannah Chee-Wah where they finished third with a national record of one minute, 53 seconds in the event.

However, the Bermuda and Jamaican teams also broke their national records in the race, finishing in one minute and 51:42 seconds and one minute and 51:59 seconds, respectively.

In the preliminaries of the Girls 13-14 200M Breaststroke, Gabriella Donahue of Trinidad and Tobago finished second in the heat in a time of two minutes and 51 seconds, just behind Puerto Rican Paola Guerra’s time of two minutes and 48 seconds. Team TTO’s Brianna Bocage was disqualified in the event.

Gabriella then led from the front in the 50m Breaststroke heats, stopping the clock at 31.28 seconds, split seconds ahead of Logan Watson-Brown of Antigua (31.91) and Danielle Titus’ time of 31.97 representing Barbados. TT’s Jahmia Harly also qualified for the next round with her time of 32:58 seconds.

TT’s Christopher Dieffenthaller led the Boys equivalent of the heats with a time of two minutes and 30 seconds. He was closely followed by Bajan Nkosi Dunwoody’s time of two minutes and 31 seconds in the event.