ST LUCIA’S Sharks Swim Club emerged as champions of the 16th. Rodney Heights Aquatic Centre Invitational Club Swimming Championships last Sunday.
With well over 275 swimmers from the Caribbean taking part, Sharks amassed a total of 888.50 points (Girls 509.50 and Boys 379) or 196.50 points clear of their nearest rival, second placed Grenfin Swim Club of Grenada on 693 points and third place Lightling Aquatic from St. Lucia on 632 points.
The Shark swimmers also accumulated 37 gold, 21 silver and 22 bronze medals. Grenfin Swim Club collected 21 gold, 31 silver and 20 bronze and Lightling Aquatic picked up 6 gold, 19 silver and 35 bronze.
Some of the outstanding swimmers were Rylan Marville from High Tide Stingrays (81 points), Antoine Destang from Sharks Swim Club (90 points), Makayla Clarke from Alpha Sharks Swim Club (86 points), Joshua Wilson-Dumont from Marlins Swim Club (81 points), Aa Dan Woody from Alpha (90 points) and Zachary Gresham from Torpedoes Competitive Swim Club (82 points).
In the girls/boys 11 – 12 age category, Katie Kyle from Sharks scored 68 points, Nkosi Dunwoody from Alpha 90 points, Samantha Roberts from Wadali Aquatic 83 points, Nicholas Sylvester from the Black Sands Swim Club 90 points. In the girls/ boys 15 and Over category, Mia Benjamin from Grenfin Swim Club tallied 88 points and Christopher Phillips from Sharks 75 points.
The championships continue to grow and is now classified as one of the premier swim events for the Eastern Caribbean, generating a big splash for swimming in St. Lucia. Secondly, the meet is gaining prominence for its excellent level of competition, efficient organization and a large crowd attendance supporting the swimmers and the sport.
Like previous championships the younger swimmers were a joy to watch. Most clubs sent mainly younger age groups to the event to give them regional exposure to swimming at this level. It was also a test of endurance, as some of the competitors earlier in the week had represented their various countries at the CARIFTA championships in Barbados.
