A?HIGH level of team spirit and commitment were among the positive features that emerged during Barbados’ participation in last week’s CARIFTA Swimming Championships in Aruba.
This view was expressed by Abdul Sharif, head coach of the 21-member team that returned home around 10 p.m. on Saturday night.
Speaking to NATIONSPORT at the Grantley Adams International Airport shortly after emerging from the arrival hall, Sharif, while commending the youngsters for their medal successes, looked beyond the medal count as he heaped praises on the competitors.
“A lot of the kids adapted very well and we were pleased to see how they rose to the occasion even in some trying circumstances. When some of them might have had some personal difficulties with the performances, they bounced back and put in excellent performances,” Sharif said.
“We were pleased especially with the younger ones that came through. Only about four in the group didn’t actually get a medal but they performed up to the last day and you could see the enthusiasm and the effort.
“We had a couple kids that had injuries and they still persevered and did the relays so that we could get the points so I thought that the team spirit and the commitment to the team were very positive,” the head coach said.
The squad produced 31 medals in the pool and one in the open water, approximately ten fewer than last year but according to Sharif this was understandable given the composition of the team.
“We are excited about the performance mainly because the team was a relatively young team. A lot of them were first-year in the age group and we had quite a few youngsters joining the team for the first time,” the coach explained.
Sharif said he was quite comfortable with the medal count that included 10 gold, 14 silver and seven bronze. Eight age group records were broken and two national records established in open category.
“I think we did extremely well,” Sharif said.
Sharif identified Hannah Gill, Christian Selby and Danielle Titus as three of the more outstanding performers at the meet.
Titus, a first timer at the games, counted three gold medals among the five medals she captured. Selby, who also won five medals including three gold, took the high point trophy for boys 15-17.
Gill got the FINA High Point Trophy for 13-14 girls for best swim and also came away with three gold medals.
The coach expressed general satisfaction with the organisation of the tournament. He was especially proud of his athletes for overcoming the challenges they faced which included adapting to the food that was not always what they preferred as well as adjusting to the high level and intensity of the competition.
