Debutant, USA-based Gabriela Donahue and Jeron Thompson won two more individual gold medals each as T&T dominated the third night of finals with nine gold medals at the 2015 Central American and Caribbean Nation Swimming Championship (CCCAN) when action continued at the National Aquatic Centre, Wildey, Christ Church, Barbados on Thursday night.
In addition to Donahue and Thompson, Amira Pilgrim, Aqeel Joseph, Kael Yorke, Strasser Sankar, and David Mc Leod also bagged gold for the T&T squad to surge to the top of the medal table with 26 (19 gold, six silver and one bronze) while Puerto Rico in a close second with 17 gold, 13 silver and eight bronze for 38 medals.
However, with only last night and today's finals left to complete the swimming segment of the championship Puerto Rico leads the points table with 562.33 points, ahead of Costa Rica (529), Barbados (358) and T&T (299.83).
On Thursday night, Donahue won the 11-12 girls 50m backstroke in a new meet record of 30.78 seconds, clear of Barbadian Danielle Titus (32.12) and Honduran Carmen Velsaquez (33.18).
She had earlier on the night topped her rivals in the 100m butterfly in 1:07.42 with Titus again second in 1:08.31 while Katie Kyle of St Lucia took bronze in 1:08.52.
Thompson proved a class above his rivals in the 13-14 boys 50m backstroke in 28.58 just ahead of Suriname's Yael Touw Ngie Tjouw (28.69) and Barbadian Jack Kirby (28.94).
Thompson made it two gold from two starts on the night when he won the 100m breaststroke in 1:08.88, well ahead of Barbadian Luis Sebastien Weekes (1:11.47 mins) and Puerto Rico's Daniel Chevre (1:12.03).
Pilgrim won the 15-17 girls 50m freestyle in 26.87 while Panama's Catherine Cooper (26.89) and Honduran Julimar Avila (27.23) were second and third respectively.
Joseph swam to gold in the 11-12 boys 100m butterfly when he touched the wall in 1:05.31 followed by Antigua and Barbuda's Lleyton Martin (1:05.81) and Puerto Rico's Jeremy Medina (1:05.93).
Yorke added another individual gold medal after he won the 13-14 boys 200m butterfly in 2:10.75, closely followed by Suriname's Yael Touw Ngie Tjouw (2:10.84) and Barbadian Damon St Prix (2:14.69).
Not to be left out, Strasser Sankar secured his first individual gold of the championship by winning the 18 & Over boys 50m freestyle in 23.45 with countryman Joshua D D Mc Leod (23.80) second and, third was Costa Rica's Juan Jose Dobles (23.92)
And the second of the three Mc Leod brothers at the meet, David Mc Leod won T&T's final gold on the night, in the 18 & Over boys 50m backstroke in 26.24.
A distant second was US Virgin Islands' Rex Tellius (26.77) and third, Jordan Augier (26.95) while T&T's Christian Awah was fifth in 28.29.
Justin Samlalsingh and Cape also added silver medals on the night while the 13-14 boys 4 x 200 freestyle relay quartet got T&T's first bronze (8:36.96) behind Puerto Rico (8:21.37) and Barbados (8:31.80).
Samlalsingh raced home in 27.96, a finger-tip behind Aruba's Patrick Groters (27.94) with Dominican Republic Johnny Perez (28.35) just ahead of T&T's Bradley Thomas (28.36) for bronze.
In the 15-17 girls 50m backstroke, Panama's Melissa Murua won ahead of joint second placed Ariel Cape and Suriname's Brienne Renfurm (31.81). The 13-14 mixed 200m freestyle relay quartet of Yorke, Graham Chatoor, Vrisnelit Faure and Racine Ross was fourth in 1:50.33. On Wednesday night, T&T won six gold via Gabriela Donahue, Ross, Ariel Cape, Joseph, Yorke and the 13-14 boys 4 x 100m freestyle relay quartet.
Donahue won her second gold in the 11-12 girls category when she touched the wall first in the 100m breaststroke in one minute 17.31 seconds, ahead of Barbadian Ashely Weekes (1:21.26) and Honduran Paola Cwu (1:23.86).
This after the T&T swimmer also won the 200m breaststroke on Tuesday's opening night in 2:48.76 followed by Weekes (2:53.78) and Cwu (2:55.02).
Ross collected her first gold in the 13-14 girls 100m butterfly in one minute, 05.16 seconds to beat Aruban Keeley Maduro (1:05.44) and Puerto Rican (1:06.42) into second and third respectively while T&T's other entrant Vrisnelit Faure was sixth in 1:08.74.
Cape won the 15-17 girls 100m backstroke in 1:08.93 with Panama's Melissa Murua (1:09.68) and Dominican Republic's Arianna Sanna (1:10.04) taking silver and bronze respectively.
Joseph scorched the field in the 11-12 boys 200m butterfly when he touched the wall in 2:29.71 with St Lucian Jayhan Odlum-Smith a distant second in 2:35.60 and Costa Rican, Jeims Caita, further back in third in 2:36.58.
Yorke sped home in 57.40 to grab gold in the 13-14 boys 100m butterfly ahead of Suriname's Yael Touw Ngie Tjouw (57.98) with Jamaica's Jesse Mach, third in 59.75.
And in the 13-14 boys 4 x 100m freestyle, the quartet of Yorke, Thompson, Chatoor and Luke Gillette outswam the field for gold in three minutes, 47.22 seconds with Barbados second in 3:47.98 and Puerto Rico, third in 3:48.11.
David Mc Leod added silver for T&T in the 18 & Over boys 100m backstroke in 58.50 behind USVIs' Tellius who won in a new record time of 56.47 while St Lucia's Augier took bronze in 59.17. T&T's Christian Awah was fifth in 1:01.93.
Joshua Mc Leod had a fourth placed finish in the 18 & Over boys 100m butterfly in 56.61 while Luke Gillette was fifth in the 13-14 boys 200m breaststroke in 2:41.72.
The meet concludes today with heats from 9am and finals in the afternoon session from 6 pm.
CCCAN Medal Table After Three Days
Country Gold Silver Bronze Total
T&T 19 6 1 26
Puerto Rico 17 13 8 38
Barbados 11 10 9 30
Costa Rica 10 13 22 45
Panama 8 8 2 18
Honduras 6 3 14 23
Dominican Rep 4 5 9 18
Aruba 3 7 2 12
Suriname 3 7 1 11
Curacao 3 2 0 5
Bermuda 2 1 0 3
USVI 1 2 3 6
Jamaica 1 1 1 3
Grenada 1 0 2 3
Antigua & Barbuda 0 4 0 4
St Lucia 0 3 6 9
CCCAN Points Table After Three Days
Puerto Rico–562.33 points
Costa Rica–529
Barbados–358
T&T–299.83
Honduras–275
Panama–230.5
Dominican Republic–178
Aruba–166
Suriname–134.5
St Lucia–99
USVI–73.50
Curacao–70
Antigua & Barbuda–54
Jamaica–34
Grenada–31.33
Bermuda–28
Bermuda–15?