Despite the disappointment of not being able to swim in the anticipated 50-metre pool, Saint Lucian swimmers finished the Claude Sufrin Swim Meet in Martinique over the weekend with impressive results, claiming 10 gold medals, 16 silver medals, and eight bronze medals.
The two-day competition, which was expected to be held in a 50-metre pool, was instead contested in a 25-metre pool due to a technical issue with the movable floor of the longer pool. The change was a disappointment for swimmers who had been preparing for the longer race lengths.
Denise Parks, public relations officer for Seajays Legends Swim Club, and treasurer of Sharks Swim Club, Liza Pultie, said the development had been a surprise for the swimmers.
Parks, who is also mother of swimmer Sapphire Parks who competed in the 11-12 age group, noted that the swimmers had been training specifically for the 50m competition and had been looking forward to making their best times in the longer pool.
“We’ve been training before the Christmas break for this meet. We’ve been doing strength training in and out of the pool,” she said.
“The change in the pool is a disappointment to some of the swimmers who were looking forward to swimming in the 50m pool and making their best times…. That was the goal. We would now have to go elsewhere to do so. So, the change has made a difference for us.”
Pultie agreed that the situation affected the swimmers’ preparations for major competitions.
“We recently came off a two-week Christmas break; however, many of our athletes who are trying to qualify for CARIFTA remained relatively active over that period to maintain fitness levels ahead of this meet.” she said, noting that the club recommenced full training on January 6.
“The change in the pool is a bit disappointing. As you know, we do not have a 50m pool in Saint Lucia, so we often travel to countries like Martinique and Barbados to give our athletes an opportunity to race in this pool. As such, the change in the pool from 50m to 25m almost defeats the purpose of us coming. Nonetheless, our athletes had an opportunity to race against stellar competition,” Pultie said.
Despite the unexpected setback, the Saint Lucian swimmers delivered strong performances. Notable achievements included four gold medals and one bronze for Sapphire Parks, who also set a new personal best in the 50m freestyle with a time of 28.84 seconds. Other standout swimmers included Maya Andrew (two gold, one silver), Aniyah George (one gold, two bronze), Ethan Hazell (one gold, one silver, one bronze), Tiago Nelson (one gold, one silver, two bronze), and Chloe Emmanus (one gold, two silver).
According to team representatives, extensive preparations were made in the lead-up to the meet, with swimmers focusing on improving their underwater performance and overall techniques. The meet has historically been a key event for Saint Lucian swimmers aiming to achieve personal bests ahead of major competitions such as CARIFTA, the Central American and Caribbean Amateur Swimming Confederation (CCCAN), and other international meets.
