USA-based trio Catherine Dieffenthaller, Zuri Ferguson and Liam Carrington all won gold on the opening night of finals at the 38th edition of the Carifta Aquatics Championships hosted by the Aquatic Sports Association of T&T (ASATT) at the beautiful National Aquatic Centre in Balmain, Couva on Saturday night.
For Ferguson and Carrington, their victories were produced via record-breaking swims.
Dieffenthaller won the first gold medal for the host when she powered home to beat Antigua and Barbuda’s Ellie Shaw with a time of two minutes, 44.08 seconds as compared to two minutes, 44.35, while Bahamian Eñyse Wood got bronze in two minutes, 45.99.
Carrington lived up to his pre-race favourite tag when he broke Barbadian Jack Kirby’s 2018 record of 26.27 seconds with a sizzling time of 25.97, which was just shy of compatriot Zarek Wilson’s top national mark of 25.82.
In the morning heats Carrington was also the top qualifier in 26.29.
Second in his final was Bahamian Ellie Ginson in 27.13, while Suriname’s Ismael Jair Holtuin took bronze in 27.36.
Ferguson broke her record prior to Carrington’s splash when she lowered her own record of 29.23; she sat in the heats with a new mark of 29.18, with Jamaican Carolyn Levy-Powell second in 29.82 and US Virgin Islands’ Riley Miller taking bronze in 30.03.
Earlier in the morning heats, Ferguson, who is set to attend the University of Florida in September, broke the Carifta Games record in the 15-17 girls backstroke when she topped the heats in 29.23 seconds, bettering the 2023 mark of 29.51, which was set by Lila Higgio, while Jamaica’s Carolyn Levy-Powell clocked 29.77 and the US Virgin Islands’ Riley Miller, 30.15, for the third-best time in the heats.
One event later, Carrington, who attends Bolles High School and has committed to swim for North Carolina State University
Marena Martinez and Zara Persico were the first medal winners for the host country when they secured silver and bronze, respectively, in nine minutes, 49.52 seconds and nine minutes, 53.57 seconds in the 13-14 girls 800m freestyle as they finished behind US Virgin Islands swimmer Reagan Uszenski, who swam to the gold medal in nine minutes, 22.27 seconds.
In the 15-17 boys 1,500m, Zachary Anthony added to T&T’s early medal rush with a silver medal finish in 16 minutes, 44.40 seconds to trail Cayman Islands’ Dominic Hilton, who won gold in 16:30.72 minutes, while Bermuda’s Thomas Cechini got bronze in 16:48.61.
Raegan Belmar made certain of another medal for T&T to the delight of the vociferous crowd with a third-place finish in the 13-14 girls 200 breaststroke in two minutes, 55.85 seconds, well behind Bahamian duo Isabella Cuccurullo and Kimaya Saunders, who raced to gold and silver in 2:51.69 minutes and 2:54.13 minutes, respectively.
T&T had another silver and bronze medal finish, this time in the 13-14 boys 200m breaststroke via Ethan McMillan-Cole (2:34.05) and Jadon Ramdeen (2:35.31) to trail Bahamian David Singh, who won in 2:31.79.
In the 13-14 boys 50m backstroke, T&T’s Shian Griffith got silver in 28.82 seconds, with the Cayman Islands’ Levy Fahy the winner in 28.22, and Martinique’s Maxime Auguste-Charlery third in 29.07.
Among the other local swimmers to secure places in gold medal races last night were Zara Persico (13-14 girls 800m freestyle), Keryn Burke 15-17 girls 800m freestyle), Aimee Le Blanc (15-17 girls 800m freestyle), Isaiah Alexander (15-17 boys 1,500m freestyle), Zalayhar Lewis (11-12 girls 200m breaststroke), Raegan Belmar (13-14 girls 200m breaststroke), Breanna Belmar (13-14 girls 200m breaststroke), Ethan McMillan-Cole (13-14 boys 200m breaststroke), Jadon Ramdeen (13-14 boys 200m breaststroke), Catherine Dieffenthaller ( 15-17 girls 200m breaststroke), Anpherne Bernard (15-17 boys 200m breaststroke), Zalayhar Lewis (11-12 girls 50m backstroke), Raegan Belmar (13-14 girls 50m backstroke), Taylor Marchan (13-14 girls 50m backstroke), Zara Persico (13-14 girls 50m backstroke), and Sian Griffth (13-14 boys 50m backstroke),
Meanwhile, in addition to host T&T, there are 23 other participating countries that are reigning champions: the Bahamas, Aruba, Barbados, Bermuda, Bonaire, the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands, Curacao, Dominica, French Guiana, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Martinique, St Kitts & Nevis, St Lucia, St Maarten, St Martin, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, the Turks & Caicos, and the US Virgin Islands.
T&T last won the Carifta Swimming Championship title held under the auspices of the Caribbean Association of National Olympic Committees in 2010 in Kingston, Jamaica, to keep hold of the title won a year earlier in Savaneta, Aruba.
Since then, Guadeloupe won the next three editions in 2011, 2012, and 2013, followed by the dominance of the Bahamas, winning the next eight of nine editions (2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2022, 2023, and 2024), with Martinique managing to break the trend in 2016, while the 2020 and 2021 editions were cancelled due to the COVID virus pandemic.
Last year in the Bahamas, T&T captured 58 medals (24 gold, 15 silver, and 19 bronze) to finish second on the medal table, behind champions and hosts the Bahamas, among the 25 countries, while in 2023, T&T, led by Nikoli Blackman, a three-time Commonwealth Youth Games (CYG) gold medal winner, and Zarek Wilson, who also won three medals at the CYG, and Carrington secured 54 medals (22 gold, 16 silver, and 16) for 534 points to finish third, behind champions the Bahamas, who captured 85 medals (37 gold, 27 silver, and 21 bronze) for 1,113 points, and the Cayman Islands finished in the second spot with 53 medals (25 gold, 16 silver, and 12 bronze) for 752 points.
Today, from 9 am, the second morning session of heats will take place in the 200m freestyle, 50m butterfly, 200m backstroke, 400m individual medley, and 3x100 medley relay in the 11-12, 13-14 and 15-17 age groups.
