Carter edges Blackman for national 50m freestyle title

TWO-TIME Olympian Dylan Carter edged rising swim sensation Nikoli Blackman to win the boys 11 and over 50 metre freestyle on the final night of the National Open Long Course Championships on May 18.

At the National Aquatic Centre in Balmain, Couva, the Florida-based Carter topped the competitive field in 22.36 seconds, staving off a charging Blackman, who settled for a well-deserved second place, in 22.48s.

Carter and Blackman vied for top honours alongside each other in lane four and five respectively. Alabama-based Zarek Wilson touched the wall in 22.99s to place third.

Rounding off the top five were Flying Fish’s Evan Gillard Bruce (23.13s) and Point Fortin Aqua Darts’ Cadell Lyons (23.57s) respectively.

Because of the bad weather over the weekend, event officials opted to compress preliminary and final round races into single-race, timed-final events.

In other results, Serenity Pantin of Bluefin Aquatics won three events on the final night; topping the field in the girls ten and under 50m butterfly, 100m backstroke and 200m individual medley (IM).

She clocked 35.78s in the butterfly event, beating to the wall club-mate Athalia Giddings (37.19s) and Target Aquatics' Genesis Marchan (37.87s) respectively. The trio were again on the podium in that order in the 100m backstroke, with Pantin clocking one minute and 24.60s (1:24.60), Giddings 1:26.53 and Marchan 1:28.51.

And in the 200m IM, Pantin won in 3:07.77, Marlins’ Arsiah Gill (3:10.80) placed second and Giddings (3:12.47) third.

Carifta Aquatics Championships 2025 open water winner Zachary Anthony (Marlins) swam to victory in the boys 11 and over 200m butterfly and was part of the triumphant mixed 11 and over 200m freestyle relay team. In the former, he won convincingly in 2:16.78, while the nearest finisher, Tyrell Celestine (Sea Hawks), clocked 2:32.99. RWB Aquatics’ Jadon Ramdeen (2:38.60) was third.

In the relay, Anthony swam the opening leg while Marlins teammates Zara Persico, Zoe Anthony and Blackman ensured the team splashed to gold, in 1:43.31. Tidal Wave’s Jahmia Harley, Stachys Harley, Joy Blackett and Johann-Matthew Matamoro (1:44.35) were second and Flying Fish’s Jaden Mills, Sloane Pena, Sophia Carrion Deyan and Jonathan Sambrano (1:49.60) took third.

Marlins’ Isaiah Alexander also notched two wins on the final night as he topped the boys 11 and over 400m freestyle and 200m backstroke.

In the freestyle event, he won in 4:32.64, with Harley (4:36.69) and Marlins’ Marcus Alexander (4:42.70) rounding off the top three respectively. He was also in winner’s row in the backstroke in 2:24.91. Ramdeen (2:25.59) was second and Marcus Alexander (2:31.10) third