Barbados estabished the most new meet records overall on the first day of the Goodwil Swim meet at the Centre of Excellence in Tuna Puna, Trinidad, last Saturday.
Ten-year-old Damon St Prix set the pace in the Boys’ 9-10 200 freestyle event when he shattered the goodwill record established by fellow Barbadian Christian Selby in 2008, setting a new mark 3 seconds faster in 2:16.90.
The time by St Prix also set a new national mark on the short course metres register, erasing the old mark of 2:18.88 set again by Selby in the same year. The relay team of Jack Kirby, St Prix, Kobi Talma and Luis Weekes went under the meet record time in the 200 medley relay posting 2:18.15, under the old record time of 2:19.94.
At the national level these male swimmers shaved 8.62 seconds off the old age group record of 2:28.56, settling the score with the 2010 team.
Barbados also took the first gold medal of the meet when Kendi Bynoe won the 200-metre freestyle. St Prix took gold in both his races, missing the 50-metre breaststroke meet record by .62 splits, forcing Weekes into second position.
Tiffany Titus in the Girls’ 11-12 took gold in the 200 free event, and came home third in the 50-metre breaststroke. Kai Proverbs won silver in this race.
Other medal winners were Jonathan Manning, in the 13-14 boys; Gabriel Gundy taking the bronze in the 200 freestyle for 15-17 boys; and Ashley Weekes, of the 8-and-Under Girls who took bronze in the 50-metre breaststroke.
In the 200-metre medley relay, the 8-and-Under Girls’ team of Britney McCollin, Amethyst McKenzie, Danielle Titus and Ashley Weekes snatched the gold from the Suriname team in a close race with .31 splits separating them.
The 9-10 Girls of Kendi Bynoe, Destiny Harding, Shannan Smith and Michelle Willough settled for the silver medal.
The 8-and-Under Boys in the 200-metre medley relay and the 11-12 and 13-14 girls and boys in the 400-metre medley relay all took the bronze in these races. The 15-17 Boys changed the order when they won silver.
Barbados ended Day 1 with 19 medals: six gold, four silver and nine bronze with 279.50 points. Suriname maintained dominance with 347.50 points and Trinidad and Tobago holding on to the second spot with 337 points. (PR)
