Mason sets age group record

EIGHT-YEAR-OLD Charise Mason established Barbados’ lone national age group record on the second day of the Goodwill swimming meet in Suriname. Competing in the 50 metres freestyle, she blew away the nine-girl field which included three each from Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago and Barbados to cop the gold medal in 33:52 seconds. In the process, she dismissed Shantelle Clarke’s 15-year-old eight-and-under national record established in 1995 and rewrote the history books, reducing the meet record established in 2009.Destiny Harding completed Barbados’ takings in this event by landing the silver medal in 34:67. Mason also took the silver in the 100 metres individual in 1:28.09, while Harding took bronze in the 50 metres butterfly in 39:47. The efforts of the swimmers pushed Barbados’ medal tally to 53 and in third place.Tiffany Titus and Damon St Prix followed suit in the 9-to-10 age group with gold in the 200 metres individual medley in 2:47.93 and 2:46.44 respectively. Titus went on to grab silver in the 50 metres freestyle in 30:57, and bronze in the 50 metres butterfly in 35:69. St Prix took bronze in the 50 metres butterfly in 34:03. Brandon Thompson, competing in the boys’ 11-12, won bronze in the very competitive 50 metres freestyle in 28:89.