Barquisimeto–Kimberlee John-Williams and Christian Homer both won swimming gold medals to open T&T's account at the 26th Caribbean and Central American and Confederations (CCCAN) Aquatic Championship, in Barquisimeto City, Lara, Venezuela on Tuesday night.
On the first night of swimming finals at the Bolivarianas Swimming Pool, John-Williams and Homer, two of T&T's multi-gold medals winners from the 2007 edition of the Championship in El Salvador, won gold in their respective 50 metres age-group backstroke finals. First to win precious metal for T&T was John-Williams who touched the wall first in winning the 13-14 girls 50 metres backstroke in 31.19 seconds.
The 50-plus T&T supporters, only had to wait four more events to see another gold medal performance, this time by Homer, an eight-time gold medallist in 2007. The England-based Homer sped home in the 15-17 boys 50 metres backstroke final in 27.05 seconds followed by countryman Cadell Lyons who clocked, 28.10. T&T also picked up two other silver medals and two bronze to end the first day with seven medals and in third spot on the 20-team medal table.
Dylan Carter, T&T's star at the Carifta Games held earlier this year in Aruba with nine individual gold medals had to settle for a silver in the 11-12 boys 50 metres backstroke in 30.71 seconds to trail Venezuelan winner, Andres Doria (29.84). Venezuelan Ricardo Fagundez won the 13-14 boys 50 metres backstroke in 29.48 followed by the T&T duo of Joshua Romany (29.61) and Keegan Boisson-Yates (29.66).
Joshua Mc Leod was T&T's other medal winner on the night a bronze in the 18 & Over boys 50 metres backstroke final in 28.69 seconds to trail gold medallist Victor Lugo (Venezuela) who clocked 27.86, and Costa Rican, Mario Montoya who got silver in 28.58. Anthony Edwards who also competed in the 18-and-over backstroke final was sixth home in 29.50. Overall, host Venezuela, the defending champions and favourites to repeat as winners won 26 medals on the first night (11 gold, nine silver and six bronze) to lead all teams.
Guatemala is next with seven medals (three gold, one silver, three bronze) followed by T&T, Barbados (two gold, two silver, one bronze), Mexico (two gold, one silver, five bronze) and El Salvador, with two gold medals. Venezuela also leads the points table with 269 points well ahead of second placed T&T (92) while Mexico and Guatemala are next with 84 and 80 respectively after one day of swimming.
Yesterday, the T&T team returned to the pool and enjoyed a relatively good second morning's preliminary heats with 20 members of the local squad securing places in the finals of the 200 metres backstroke, 50 metres butterfly and 200 metres individual medley gold medal events which were due to come off last night. In the 200 metres backstroke, Jonathan Gonzales qualified as the third fastest in the 11-12 boys final with a morning preliminary heats time of two minutes, 34.73 seconds.
John-Williams was fourth in the 13-14 girls 200m backstroke heats in two minutes, 39.29 seconds while Boisson-Yates was sixth fastest in the boys equivalent in two minutes, 28.85 seconds. Samantha Rahael (2:34.35 mins) and Jonathan Cabral (2:22.86 mins) were sixth and eight in their respective 15-17 girls and boys morning preliminary splashes.
Head coach Mark Pouchet must have been a very pleased man as 10 swimmers advanced to the finals of the 50 metres butterfly events. Carter moved into medal contention in the 11-12 age-group with a seventh placed finish in the heats in 29.65 seconds while Christopher Greene was eighth, in 30.29 seconds.
In the 13-14 boys and girls age-group, Boisson-Yates was seventh in 28.14 seconds. and John-Williams, fifth in 31.44 seconds ahead of the finals. Lyons was the lone T&T swimmer to qualify first among the heats yesterday, when he won the 15-17 boys 50 metres butterfly in 25.40 and Homer was second, in 25.96. Laverne Maxwell qualified for the 15-17 girls gold medal event after she reached the wall in fifth spot in 30.71.
The three T&T swimmers who will go after podium finishes in the 18-and-over age-group finals are Kimba Collymore (fourth in heats in 30.29), and the boys duo of Joshua Mc Leod (second in heats in 25.62) and Jarryd Gregoire (third in heats in 25.97). The quintet of Carter (fourth in 2:32.58 mins), Gonzales (sixth in 2:36.73 mins), Joshua Romany (sixth in 2:24.95 mins), Boisson-Yates (eight in 2:25.57), and Collymore (fourth in 2:35.73 mins) all qualified for finals in the 200 metres individual medley.