Zarek Wilson won two more gold medals, Kael Yorke got one and the Boys 11-12 400 metres freestyle relay quartet also captured another, as T&T won 12 medals on Sunday at Central American and Caribbean Swimming Confederation (CCCAN) Championship. The meet is taking place at the Rolly Bisslik Olympic Pool in Oranjestad, Aruba.
Just as he did on Saturday night, Wilson in two minutes and 5.38 seconds (2:05.38) led a one-two finish for T&T with Nikoli Blackman (2:09.24), this time in the Boys 11-12 200m freestyle event with Bahamian Marvin Johnson, third in 2:11.91.
Wilson then won the 100m backstroke in 1:06.78 with Blackman again second in 1:08.23 followed by Lucas Diaz in 1:09.43.
Yorke picked up his second individual gold when he raced home in 25.17 to top the field in the Boys 15-17 age-group 50m butterfly event ahead of Curacao’s Mauricio Payne second in 25.50 and Jamaica’s Nicholas Vale, third in 25.59.
The Boys 11-12 400m freestyle relay quartet of Josiah Changar, Wilson, Stachys Harley and Blackman added the other gold behind a time of 4:01.48, well clear of Aruba (4:11.56) and Jamaica (4:11.59).
Zoe Anthony continued her impressive outing with two silver medals on the night.
First, Anthony touched the wall in 2:14.77 in the Girls 11-12 200m freestyle test behind Jamaican Morgan Cogle (2:14.16) while Cayman Islands’ Jillian Crooks was third in 2:16.95.
Crooks then reversed fortunes on the field by winning the 50m butterfly in 30.08 with Anthony (30.38) and St Lucian Naekeisha Louis (30.42), second and third respectively.
Malik Nelson also picked up silver when he got home in 26.49 in the Boys 13-14 50m butterfly event, well adrift of Bahamian winner Lamar Taylor (26.18) with his countryman Rommel Ferguson, third in 26.78.
Anthony was also part of the Girls 11-12 400m freestyle quartet along with Neishelah Caseman, Savannah Chee-Wah and Gabrielle Vickles to get silver in 4:17.32. Jamaica took gold in 4:13.74 and Barbados, bronze in 4:25.20.
Securing his second bronze medal in as many nights for T&T was Josiah Morales in the Boys 18 and Over Boys 50m butterfly contest in 24.92. Panama’s Franco Reyes won gold in 24.77 and Suriname’s Renzo Tjon A Joe, silver in 24.90.
The other bronze for T&T came via the Boys 15-17 400m freestyle team of Aqeel Joseph, Graham Chatoor, Yorke and Jeron Thompson in 3:35.59. Curacoa won gold in 3:35.31 and Colombia, silver in 3:35.37.
After three nights of swimming, T&T swimmers have tallied 28 medals (seven gold, 13 silver and eight bronze).
As host last year, T&T claimed a historic first ever overall title at the National Aquatic Centre in Balmain, Couva, holding off the challenge of Puerto Rico.
The win by T&T marked the first time an English-speaking country had ever topped the overall points table and it came via the all-around effort of the 64-member swimming team as well as the Open Water members, four water polo teams, the two divers and the synchronised swimmers.
Overall, T&T swimmers without the injured USA-based Dylan Carter, who missed the final two nights of competition, tallied 65 medals (21 gold, 26 silver and 18 bronze) for 938.5 swimming points and 1,595 combined from the five disciplines and top spot overall
Puerto Rico topped the swimming points table with 987 and also won the most medals in the swimming competition, 74 (32 gold, 19 silver and 23 bronze), but was second overall with 1,217 points.
