SWIMMING-CARIFTA-Five records fall as Bahamas, Jamaica create stir

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC – Five records – including a near two-decade old mark – tumbled on day two of the CARIFTA Swimming Championships here Sunday.

Bermudian Elan Daley accounted for the new mark in the 13-14 girls 200 metres freestyle, clocking two minutes, 6.13 seconds while Jamaican Zaneta Alvaranga set a new record of 27.84 seconds in the 13-14 girls 50m butterfly.

Danielle Titus of Barbados entered the record books when she clocked 1:04.60 in the 15-17 girls 100m backstroke.

The two other records came in the medley relays when the Jamaican 11-12 girls 4x100m team won in a time of 4:49.77 to smash a 17-year-old mark, and the Bahamas won the 15-17 boys 4x100m final in 3:54.32.

The Bahamas dominated once again, claiming nine gold medals on the day to take their overall rally to 18 while Jamaica captured six to move to 11 overall.

All told, the Bahamas lead the medal count with 39 with Jamaica second on 34. Trinidad and Tobago, meanwhile, have picked up six gold for an overall count of 17 while Cayman Islands have six gold and 22 medals overall.

Hosts Barbados have clinched two gold among their 15 medals.

Bahamian Marvin Johnson was the standout on Sunday as he thrice topped the medal podium in the 11-12 boys age group. He opened his account in the 200m freestyle, clocking 2:07.92 to win the event, with teammate Tristin Ferguson finishing second in 2:10.18.

Johnson followed up with the 50m butterfly, touching the wall first in 28.26 seconds while Grenada’s Nathan Fletcher took silver in 29.20 and Jamaican Lewison McPherson, bronze in 29.77.

His final gold medal came in the 100m backstroke when he got home in 1:08.44, ahead of McPherson (1:09.90) and Elijah Daley of Bermuda (1:09.95).

Elan Daley won twice, with one of her victories being the record swim in the 200 metres freestyle, when she reset Emily McDonald’s one-year-old record of 2:08.70.

Bahamian Zaylie-Elizabeth Thompson copped silver in 2:10.27 while Raya Embury-Brown of Cayman Islands took bronze in 2:11.38.

Elan Daley also captured the 100m backstroke when when stopped the clock at 1:07.57, beating Keianna Moss of the Bahamas into second in 1:08.43, with Kimberly Ince of Grenada third in 1:10.09.

The Jamaican Jamaican 11-12 girls 4x100m team of Leanna Wainwright, Kokolo Foster, Giani Francis and Shirley Christanya took their share of the spotlight when they dismantled the old record of 4:52. CMC