T&T’s Zachary Anthony just failed to add to his bronze medal won in the 14-17 Boys’ 5K Open Water at the Central American and Caribbean Swimming Confederation (CCCAN) Championships when he finished fourth in the 10k swim in San Salvador, EL Salvador, on Friday.
The 16-year-old completed the course in two hours, ten minutes and 58.42 seconds to finish behind, Mexico’s Roberto Valdes Ochoa, who won gold in two hours, six minutes, and 50.48 seconds, followed by his countryman M Melendez Hernandez in two hours, nine minutes, and 02.33 seconds while Puerto Rican, Yeshua Cruz was third in two hours, nine minutes, and 05.36 seconds.
On Tuesday, Anthony won his first medal of this year’s CCCAN when he placed third in the 14-17 Boys’ 5k with a time of one hour, three minutes, 34.90 seconds, to finish behind Ochoa, who won in one hour, two minutes, 06.16 seconds, and the runner-up, Jack Gaxiola Donohoe, who clocked one hour, two minutes, 26.25 seconds.
The two other entrants for T&T in the event were Isaiah Alexander who placed 13th in one hour, ten minutes, 43.96 seconds, and Adam Scoon, in the 16th position with a time of one hour, 13 minutes, 48.27 seconds.
In the 12-13 Girls’ 3k, T&T’s Merena Martinez was seventh in 43 minutes, 19.34 seconds, with countrywoman Zara Persico, one position behind in 43 minutes, 25.48 seconds with the other T&T competitor, Taylor Marchan, failing to finish the event due to her after-effects of a bout of dehydration suffered on the final day of the pool swimming competition last Friday.
In the 14-17 Girls’ 5k, T&T’s Sydney Look Fung finished outside the 15-minute stipulated time to be considered among the medallists while the 18 and Over Boys’ 5k pair of Isaac Tuberoso and Peter Trepte, also suffered the same fate.
On Friday, in the 14-17 Girls’10k, T&T’s Amelia Rajack was seventh in two hours, 40 minutes, and 47.49 seconds while in the 18 and Over Boys’ 10k, Tuberoso was ninth home in two hours 43 minutes, and 50.58 seconds.
The other T&T team to compete in the Open Water event, the 14-17 Mixed 5,000m freestyle relay of Rajack, Isaiah Alexander, Look Fung, and Anthony was fifth in one hour, nine minutes, and 29.45 seconds.
When the swimming pool segment of the event ended on Friday last at the Merliot Sports Centre in San Salvador, the 14-year-old Liam Carrington copped a stunning six gold medals as T&T finished with 27 medals over the five nights of the final, inclusive of five silver and 13 bronze for the third spot on the medal table behind the dominant Mexicans who bagged a mammoth 224 medals, 96 gold, 83 silver, and 45 bronze while host El Salvador was second with 30 medals, ten gold, eight silver, and 12 bronze.
The Mexicans also reigned supreme on the points table with 2,130 to be crowned swimming champions with Costa Rica second with 645 followed by Honduras with 591, El Salvador with 571.5, Puerto Rico with 474, and T&T in the sixth spot with 361.5.
Last year in Christ Church, Barbados, T&T won four gold medals among 13 medals (four gold, four silver, and five bronze) for the tenth spot on the medal table at the five-day swimming segment.