News Sports Swimming Stoddard and Simmons star at CARIFTA Barbados Today17/04/20220640 views Adara Stoddard of Barbados won the Girls 15 to 17 100m butterfly and set a new national and age group record. Adara Stoddard’s impressive record-breaking performance in the Girls 15-17 200m breaststroke was part of Barbados’ incredible showing on the opening day of the XXXV CARIFTA Swimming Championship held yesterday at the National Aquatic Center in Wildey. The 16-year-old Stoddard eclipsed her previous 15 to 17 age group and national breaststroke record of 2:46.37 with a gold medal swim of 2:43.34 to emerge as the first individual gold medalist for host team Barbados. That performance certainly gave head coach Dave Farmer, manager Sharon Small and her home supporters, including those from her Christ Church Foundation School, something to cheer about. CARIFTA 2022 is sponsored by Powerade, Dasani and McBride (Caribbean) Limited and speaking of performances, 12-year-old Jaiya Simmons certainly made her mark and stamped her authority with two gold medals in the Girls 11 to 12 age group. Simmons ensured that the Barbados national anthem will be played twice on her account when she captured gold in the 50m backstroke (32:77 seconds) and the 100m butterfly (1:08.58), swimming to victory in both events. Jaiya Simmons of Barbados won the Girls 11 to 12 age group of the 100m butterfly which was one of two medals won by her on the opening day of competition. Luke Higgo of Cayman Islands clocked 31.59 seconds and snatched the top podium finish in the Boys 11 to 12 Division of the 50m backstroke. The Barbadian duo of Zachary Burke, who was the silver medalist in 32.27 seconds, and Tariq Greenidge in 32.52 seconds who secured the bronze, finished just behind. The Turks and Caicos Islands had reason to celebrate after Jayden Davis won the 11 to 12 Boys 100m butterfly in 1:06.47 just ahead of Barbadian Victor Ashby in 1:06.66 for the silver medal. Third went to Matthew Kennedy of Jamaica in 1:08.23 and rounded out the top three winners. At least two CARIFTA records fell on the opening day yesterday and Lila Higgo of Cayman Islands was among those who wrote their names on the history page of the premier regional swimming championship. The 14-year-old Higgo was first to touch the wall in a record-breaking time of 30.19 seconds for the Girls 13 to 14 50m backstroke and erased 30.36 seconds set in 2017 by Gabriela Donahue. Maylis Lepel of Martinique 31.49 seconds and Carolyn Levy- Powell of Jamaica in 31.53 seconds were the closest rivals to Higgo in that event. Jamaican Sabrina Lyn is the new record holder in the Girls 15 to 17 100m butterfly in 1:02.14 as she dismissed the previous time of 1:02.54 set in 2008 by Arianna Vanderpool. Coach Farmer promised Barbados would do well in the 11 to 12 Girls and Boys and they did not disappoint on the first day of competition with two gold in the 4x100m freestyle relay. Barbados quartet of Jaiya Simmons, Toria Alleyne, Ayobami Leon- Barker and Heidi Stoute delivered the first position in the Girls 11 to 12 4x100m freestyle relay ahead of defending CARIFTA champions the Bahamas in second and Jamaica in third place. Similarly, in the Boys 11 to 12 4x100m freestyle relay, Barbados won gold compliments Tariq Greenidge, Victor Ashby, Brendan Gill and Brennan Watson. The silver medal went to the Jamaican team and the Bahamas earned bronze. (ML)