T&T's Theana Hay, Syriah David and Christian Marsden will all be hoping to secre this country's first gold medal at the 20th Caribbean Islands Swimming Championship (CISC) when they compete in the Open Water event at Carlyle Bay, St Michael's, Barbados from 8 am tomorrow.
The CISC is a biennial aquatics championships held in even years organised by CCCAN, featuring age-group competition for teams from Caribbean island nations.
The trio were part of an 11-member Open Water team which left for Bridgetown, Barbados, yesterday along with head coach Hazel Haynes and will use today to acclimatise to the conditions at Carlyle Bay, before diving into competition tomorrow.
Hay is the lone entrant from T&T in the 18 and Over Girls, while Syriah David, her sister Shania David and Brianna Patterson compete in the 14-17 Girls, and Marsden, Kael Yorke, Kyle Caracciolo and Sachin Sankar, in the 14-17 Boys.
T&T will also be represented in the 18 and Over Boys, by the trio of Jivan Chee Foon, Josiah Morales and Aleem Mohammed.
When the swimming segment of the championship splashes off on Thursday July 3 at the Aquatic Centre in Wildey, North American-based duo, Alexandria Donahue and Tyla Martin, and Joshua Ramkissoon will make their return to the national swimming team.
Earlier this year, the trio was selected to the Carifta Swimming squad for Aruba and had to decline due to school commitments, but are now available and will journey with the team under the guidance of head coach Edmund Pouchet.
Unfortunately water polo will not be contested at this year's CISC as after T&T's dominance at the competition at the Carifta Games in both the Under-16 and Under-19 age-groups, the same opposing countries withdrew their CISC teams, instead focusing on development.
In addition to T&T and host Barbados, the 18 other participating countries at the CISC event include Antigua & Barbuda, Aruba, Bahamas, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Cuba, Curacao, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, St Kitts/Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent and The Grenadines, Turks & Caicos and US Virgin Islands.
Two years ago, in Aruba, the host country emerged as overall champions with 1,411 points and 69 medals (26 gold, 22 silver and 21 bronze) to end T&T's run of two straight titles.
T&T had to settle with 74 medals (26 gold, 26 silver and 22 bronze) for 911 points.
T&T team for Caribbean Islands Swimming Championship
11-12 Girls: Jada Chai, Jahmia Harley Vrisnelit Faure, Deshor Edwards
11-12 Boys: Gabriel Bynoe, Aqeel Joseph, Josiah Duke, Jean-Marc Granderson
13-14 Girls: Amirah Pilgrim, Aliyah Noel
13-14 Boys: Justin Samlalsingh, Kael Yorke, Christian Marsden, Osaze Riley, James Gillette, Jeron Thompson, Dario Omiss, Christopher Mohammed
15-17 Girls: Kristen Julien, Ariel Cape, Syriah David, Alexandria Donahue, Tyla Martin, Jessica Gay, Kira Goin, Theana Hay, Johnnya Ferdinand
15-17 Boys: David Mc Leod, Jabari Baptiste, Jeron O'Brien, Johnathan Farah, Joshua Ramkissoon, Kyle Caracciolo, David Wiltshire, Jeevan Chee Foon
18& Over Boys: Joshua Mc Leod, Abraham Mc Leod, Christian Awah, Strasser Sankar, Kareem Baptiste, Josiah Morales
Open Water team:
Group A (14-17) Girls: Syriah David, Shania David, Brianna Patterson
Group A (14-17) Boys: Christian Marsden, Kael Yorke, Kyle Caracciolo, Sachin Sankar
Group B (18 & Over) Girls: Theana Hay
Group B (18 & Over) Boys: Jivan Chee Foon, Josiah Morales, Aleem Mohammed
Officials: Gary Morales (manager), Edmund Pouchet (swimming head coach), Brian Wickham (swimming assistant coach), Chadeth Haynes (swimming assistant coach), Mark Pouchet (swimming assistant coach), Hazel Hayens (open water head coach), Shastri Sankar (open water assistant coach).
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