Blackman first to compete at FINA Swimming Champs

TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO swimmer Nikoli Blackman will be the first TT swimmer in the pool when the 15th FINA World Swimming Championships (25 metres) 2021 begins in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, on Thursday.

Blackman, who recently competed at the 2021 Junior Pan American Games in Colombia, will compete in the men’s 400m freestyle event from 1.35 am TT time. Blackman, 16, will swim in lane six of heat two.

Dylan Carter and Cherelle Thompson, who both represented TT at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, will also participate at the championships.

Carter will swim in his first event when he lines up in the men’s 100m butterfly heats from 2.23 am, on Friday.

Thompson will aim to make a splash in the heats of the women’s 50m butterfly event from 1.41 am, on Saturday.

Ornella Walker, who competed at the Junior Pan Am Games, contracted covid19 a week ago and was forced to withdraw from the meet.

The FINA Championships will end on Tuesday.