Team TTO adds four bronze to medal haul

NARISSA FRASER

THE 2019 Central American and Caribbean Amateur Confederation (CCCAN) Championship closed off yesterday evening at the National Aquatic Centre in Barbados.

After action on Monday, TT sat in 13th place with a haul of 18 medals ­– two gold, five silver, and 11 bronze. The competition began on Friday where TT’s 18-year-old Graham Chatoor placed second in the boys 18 and over 1500 metre freestyle finals, clocking a time of 16 minutes; 47.24 seconds.

On Saturday, TT earned two medals in the backstroke category as Gabriela Donahue, 16, won silver in the girls 15-17 50m backstroke finals, and Jeron Thompson winning gold in the boys 18 and over 50m. Donahue finished with a time of 30.47 seconds and Thompson, 26.96.

The team increased their medal haul, on Sunday, securing a total of 11 medals, including one gold. Placing first in the boys 18 and over 50m butterfly was 26-year-old Cadell Lyons, defeating Panama’s Franco Reyes by 14 nanoseconds with a time of 24.69 seconds, and fellow TT swimmer Thompson who placed third in 25.01. Lyons went on to place third in the boys 18 and over 100m backstroke in 59.32 and Donahue medalled once again, earning bronze in the girls 15-17 400m individual medley in five minutes, 17.97 seconds.

Zarek Wilson, 13, won silver in the boys 13-14 200m freestyle, and Joy Blackett, 12, took bronze in the girls 11-12 50m butterfly. Josiah Parag also copped silver in the boys 18 and over 400m individual medley.

The boys won silver in two relays, the 13-14 4x100m freestyle relay with team members Nikoli Blackman, Aaron Stuart, Kadon Williams and Zarek Wilson, and the 18 and over 4x100m freestyle relay with Mark Anthony Beckles, Kegan Ford, Thompson and Lyons.

Jada Chatoor, Deshor Edwards, Jahmia Harley and Donahue took bronze in the girls 15-17 4x100m freestyle relay, as well as Aqeel Joseph, Gabriel Bynoe, Jae-Hwa Lee Wing and Malik Nelson in the boys category of the same event.

Monday was the day for bronze as the team secured a total of four bronze medals. Donahue added to her medal heap placing third in the girls 15-17 200m individual medley in two minutes, 28.22 seconds. The remaining three medals went to Lyons in the boys 18 and over 100m freestyle, his second individual medal of the Championship, as well as two relay teams—the girls 15-17 4x200m freestyle relay team with Jada Chatoor, Harley, Donahue, and Vrisnelit Faure, and the boys 18 and over 4x200m freestyle relay with Graham Chatoor, Thompson, Obadyah Ince, and Parag.

The open water swimming will begin today and end on July 5.