TT swimmers to compete at Bajan Meet

Two sets of swimmers from the Tobago YMCA Aqua Warriors Swim Team will be embarking on the path of glory this week.

Tobago YMCA Aqua Warriors and national swimmer, Ezekiel Wilson, are in Barbados for the 4th Titans Aquatic International Swim Meet which splashes off tomorrow until Sunday.

This swim meet will serve as the first Carifta 2018 qualifier for swimmers attempting to make the national CARIFTA swim team. Wilson will be competing in a total of nine events over the duration of the four-day swim meet.

Over the weekend, Aqua Warriors swimmers Theo Bicknell-Roberts, Timothy Clarke, Brianna Percy, Justin Thomas and Nicholai Peterkin competed at the Peter Awong Memorial Swim Meet held in Trinidad. The Tobago team of five returned to the sister isle with a total of three trophies and 14 medals (two gold, four silver and eight bronze).

Timothy Clarke finished second overall in the 11-12 Boys Developmental Age group category and collected a total of five medals at the Peter Awong Swim Meet. Clarke claimed gold in the 25-metre butterfly, clocking a PB (personal best) time of 18.78, ahead of competitors Austin Maxime of Blue Dolphins Swim Club (20.02) and Graeme Waithe Toussaint of Torpedoes Swim Club (22.14).

He then picked up a silver medal in the 25-metre breaststroke narrowly missing the gold by clocking a PB time of 20.88 behind Maxime (20.83).

Similarly, he claimed another silver medal in the 25-metre backstroke clocking a PB of 20.04 behind Maxime (19.95). Clarke went on to claim bronze in both the 50-metre freestyle, clocking a PB of 36.05 behind Keanu Morean of Tsunami Swim Club (34.47) and Maxime (35.37). He copped bronze again in the 25-metre freestyle in another PB of 16.58, behind Maxime (15.30) and Morean (15.85).

Nicholai Peterkin picked up three medals and placed second overall in the 13-14 Boys Developmental Age group category. Peterkin claimed gold in the 25-metre breaststroke, clocking a PB of 19.27 to beat competitors Jonah Samuel of Tsunami Swim Club (19.42) and Jamal Ali Yarna of Petrotrin Barracudas Swim Club (19.50).

He went on to collect a silver medal in the 25-metre butterfly in a PB of 16.66, behind Samuel (15.11), and then a bronze medal in the 25-metre, setting a PB of 14.21 behind Samuel (13.78) and Ali Yarna (14.02). Additionally, Peterkin placed fifth in the 50-metre freestyle and sixth in the 25-metre backstroke.

Brianna Percy, just like her teammates, claimed five medals and also ended in third place in the 13-14 Girls Competitive Age group category. Percy claimed silver in the 100-metre freestyle in 1:36.92, behind Gabriella Acosta of Tsunami Swim Club (1:10.74). Percy went on to claim bronze in the 100-metre Individual medley, 100-metre butterfly, 100-metre backstroke and the 50-metre freestyle.

In the 100-metre Individual medley, Percy stopped the clock in 1:34.46, behind Acosta (1:23.27) and Eden Edwards of Point Fortin Aqua Darts (1:24.64). In the 100-metre butterfly event, she clocked 2:01.03, behind competitors Alexia Sandy of Point Fortin Aqua Darts (1:43.61) and Edwards (1:44.10).

In the 100-metre backstroke, Percy clocked 1:34.03, behind Acosta (1:27.63) and Edwards (1:29.12); and in the 50-metre freestyle she stopped the clock at 35.86 behind Acosta (33.15) and Edwards (33.20).

Theo Bicknell-Roberts claimed bronze in the 25-metre breaststroke, clocking a PB time of 27.23 behind Isaiah Alexander of Tiger Sharks Swim Club (26.30) and Jayden Sonny of Tsunami Swim Club (27.06). Additionally, Theo placed sixth in the 25-metre freestyle and seventh in the 25-metre backstroke, 25-metre butterfly and 50-metre freestyle.

Justin Thomas placed sixth in the 25-metre butterfly, eighth in the 25-metre backstroke, ninth in the 50-metre freestyle and 10th in both the 25-metre breaststroke and 25-metre freestyle.

The Tobago YMCA Aqua Warriors swim team has two more national swim meets to close off 2017.

These two swim meets will serve as national qualifiers for the Goodwill 2018 National Swim Team, CARIFTA 2018 National Swim Team, CCCAN 2018 National Swim Team and Pan American Masters Swim Team 2018.