Saint Lucian swimmers returned from the Aquatics Sports Association of Trinidad & Tobago (ASATT) Invitational with an impressive 15 medals, including nine gold, after four days of competition at the National Aquatic Centre in Couva, December 11-14. Along the way, the six-member team also set one new national record, two age-group records and a meet record.
Despite competing in just nine events, Sapphire Parks of Sea Jays emerged as the star, finishing second overall in the 11-12 category with seven gold medals and two silver. Parks capped a fabulous year by breaking a national record and three age‑group marks, lowering two of her own all‑time bests in the process.
In the women’s 200m individual medley, her time of 2:38.22 bettered the 2:38.88 set by Fayth Jeffrey at CARIFTA 2024. Parks also previously held the age‑group mark for that event, 2:39.73, but this was her first senior national record. She improved on her 200m butterfly performance, from 2:39.04 to 2:36.97, and in the 200m breaststroke she clocked 2:56.93, bettering Danielle Beaubrun’s 11-12 time of 2:57.56 from 2003. Parks also set a meet record in the 50m butterfly.
Aniyah George was 10th in the 11-12 girls. The Sea Jays swimmer got bronze in the 200m backstroke, an event in which Parks won gold.
With two gold medals and two silver medals in the 13-14 boys’ division, Jayden Xu of Sea Jays was ninth. He won the 200m backstroke and 100m backstroke. His club teammate, Noah Dorville, was 16th overall in that same category. His best swim earned him bronze in the 100m freestyle. Sharks’ Caden Calderoncompeted in two events in that class.
Tyler Dantes competed in the 11-12 boys.
Team manager Denise Parks told St. Lucia Times: “The ASATT meet is highly competitive. The team came with the goal of achieving long-course CARIFTA times and to better their long-course times, which they did. I’m super proud of them.”
Sea Jays were 12th overall, competing against 200 swimmers from Trinidad & Tobago and other Caribbean nations.
