The University of Florida in the USA-bound T&T swimmer Zuri Ferguson set her third meet record while Taylor Marchan, Ethan Mc Millan-Cole, and Tyla Ho A Shu all won gold for T&T of the final night of Tropical Storm Alberto-shortened Central American and Caribbean Swimming Confederation (CCCAN) Championships in Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico on Saturday.
Despite the final two days of competition at the Aquatic Center of the Autonomous University of Nuevo León having to be contested via Time Finals, the T&T swimmers led by head coach Dr. Stephen Mendoza finished with 51 medals overall (20 gold, 19 silver, and 12 bronze) for the second spot on the medal table behind run-away champions and host country Mexico who amassed a mammoth 224 medals, (90 gold, 79 silver, and 55 bronze) while Guatemala was third with 37 medals (7 gold, 10 silver, and 20 bronze), Costa Rica fourth with 39 medals (6 gold, 20 silver, and 13 bronze) and Barbados, fifth with 19 medals (6 gold, 9 silver, and 4 bronze) to round out the top five countries on the medal table.
The 16-year-old Ferguson of Bluefish Swim Club in New England, Boston, USA, assured of a spot on the T&T swimming team for next month’s Paris Olympics courtesy of the FINA Olympic University Clause’ invitation, registered her third record golden swim when she stormed to victory in the 15-17 Girls’ 200m backstroke in two minutes, 17.85 seconds.
The time by Ferguson, who also set new marks in the 50m and 100m backstroke events, improved on the 2018 record of two minutes, 18.05 seconds which was established by Colombian Laura Sofia Melo Barrera.
Guatemala’s Melissa Diego was a distant second in 2:22.13, and Costa Rican Genesis Bolandi was third in 2:25.42.
Marchan, 17, swam to gold in the 11-12 Girls’ 200m backstroke in two minutes, 29.09 seconds, well clear of Mexicans’ Sofa Ovchinnikova (2:35.70 mins), and Alejandra Martinez (2:35.74 mins) who took the silver and bronze medals respectively.
The 12-year-old Mc Millan-Cole, 12, added another individual gold to his tally by beating his rivals in the 11-12 Boys 50m breaststroke in 33.57 seconds, with Costa Rican Eliel Torres, second in 34.01, and Mexican Nicolas Martinez, third in 34.06.
World Junior Championship participant, Ho A Shu, 17, won gold in the 15-17 Girls 50m breaststroke in 33.59, just ahead of Mexico’s Patricia Cuellar (33.64) and Antigua & Barbuda’s Ellie Shaw (33.68) with T&T’s Catherine Dieffenthaller, fourth in 33.87.
T&T swimmers also bagged five silver and three bronze on the final night of competition.
In the 15-17 Boys 200m backstroke, Liam Carrington of Bolles High School in Florida in the USA earned a silver medal with a time of 2:07.54 minutes, finishing behind Mexico’s Rafael Arriago who won in 2:06.88 with his compatriot, Gael Sarmiento, third in 2:08.30.
USA-based Graham Chatoor took silver in the 18 and Over Boys 400m freestyle when he got to the wall in four minutes, 03.57 seconds, with Guatemala’s Erick Cordillo taking the gold medal in three minutes, 59.01 seconds, and Costa Rican Alberto Vega, third in four minutes, 05.79 seconds.
Marchan also led the 11-12 Girls 400m medley relay quartet which also included Zalayhar Lewis, Marena Martinez, and Zara Persico to the silver medal in four minutes, 57.89 seconds, to finish behind Mexico who won in 4:41.81 with Venezuela, third in 5:00.25.
Ferguson also combined with Catherine Dieffenthaller, her older sibling Isabella Dieffenthaller, and Amari Ash to take silver in the 15-17 Girls 400m medley relay in 4:30.49, well behind Mexico who clocked 4:25.13, with Costa Rica securing the bronze in 4:33.58.
The 15-17 Boys 400m medley relay combination of Carrington, Liam Roberts, Zachary Anthony, and Evan Gillard Bruce also swam to a silver medal finish in 4:01.02 to finish adrift of winners’ Mexico (3:51.36) while Aruba got bronze in 4:06.21.
Tobagonian Ornella Walker had to settle for bronze in the 18 and Over Girls’ 200m backstroke when she got to the wall in 2:27.02 to trail Barbadian winner Danielle Titus (2:23.27), and Mexican Liseska Gutierrez (2:24.97).
In the 18 and Over Boys 100m butterfly, Cadell Lyons touched in the third spot in 55.41 seconds, with Mexicans Andres Cesar (52.43), and Angel Gomez (53.84) securing the gold and silver medals respectively.
And, the 13-14 Boys 400m medley relay foursome of Alejandro Agard, Aaron Colthrust, Shian Griffith, and Mills copped the bronze in 4:16.95 to trail champions Mexico (3:59.73), and runner-up Costa Rica (4:10.88).
In the final event, the team of Johann-Matthew Matamoros, Nikoli Blackman, Lyons, and Aqeel Joseph just missed out on the bronze when they ended in the fourth spot in the 18 and Over Boys 400m medley relay in 3:55.05. Mexico won gold in 3:50.73 followed by Panama (3:51.64), and Guatemala (3:52.67).
Overall, T&T finished third on the points table with 678 well shy of champions Mexico who tallied 2,.159.5 with Costa Rica in the second spot with 791 while Guatemala was fourth with 567, and Panama, fifth with 315.
Last year at the Merliot Sports Centre in San Salvador, the then 14-year-old Carrington won six gold medals inclusive of a new record time in the 13-14 Boys’ 200m backstroke of two minutes, 07.07 seconds, to better the old mark of 2:09.55 from 2011 as T&T finished with 27 medals.
The trio of Darren Belfon (50m freestyle), Amari Ash (15-17 Girls’ 50m freestyle), and Chatoor (18 and Over Boys’ 400m) were the other gold medal winners for T&T to go along with 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.
A year earlier 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.
This year’s CCCAN open water segment was officially cancelled by the event organizers and CCCAN President Cinthia Sanes due to the inclement weather and its impact on the venues for the event.
