Barbados made an encouraging start to the 38th edition of the CARIFTA Aquatic Championships, with several swimmers advancing to the finals after strong performances in this morning’s heats at the National Aquatic Centre in Trinidad.
Assistant coach Tamara Patrick expressed her satisfaction with the team’s early showing.
“The children’s form went really well this morning,” she said. “They say they like how the pool feels, so we have a few kids into the finals tonight.”
Among the standout performers was Joshua Ross, who was victorious in his Boys’ 15-17 200 metre breaststroke heat with a time of 2:26.69. Theo Narain also impressed, finishing third in the Boys’ 11-12 version of the same event with 2:59.43, while Saniya Minnis’ time of 3:00:69 saw her advance in the Girls’ 13-14 category.
In the 50 metres backstroke, Kaija Eastmond and Jayla Marie Blunte looked sharp in the Girls’ 11-12 heats, finishing first and third, respectively. Eastmond clocked 31.98 seconds, with Blunte close behind in 34.88. Amaya Harrison also progressed to the Girls’ 13-14 final.
Eastmond, who is emerging as one to watch, will have another medal opportunity in the 100 metres butterfly after finishing second in her Girls’ 11-12 heat with a time of 1:10.59. She will be joined in the final by Gabriella Babb, who placed second in her heat in 1:13.62, and teammate Jaya Simmons.
Meanwhile, Heidi Stoute will be eyeing a podium finish in the Girls’ 15-17 800 metre freestyle later this evening.
As for the team’s medal prospects, she remains optimistic. “I would like to say maybe about five or six, hopefully.”
Coach Patrick was especially pleased with the swimmers’ time improvements. “You know, most of them dropped a lot of times, so I was very impressed with that, but they did say the pool feels fast,” she noted. “I’m very, very happy with their time drops.”
