Two of Saint Lucia’s top clubs competed over the weekend in Barbados at the 33rd annual Sonia O’Neal Memorial International Invitational Swimming Championships. Competing against 23 regional clubs, Sharks Swim Club secured eighth place overall with 221.5 points, while Lightning Aquatics Swim Club finished 14th with 79.5 points. Sharks claimed seventh in the men’s standings (127 points) and ninth in the women’s (66.5), while Lightning Aquatics placed 16th (24 points) and 13th (53.5), respectively.
Leading the way for Sharks and the Saint Lucian contingent as a whole was Keyanno Elibox, who had a strong outing in the 8 & Under boys. He won three gold medals in freestyle, and a fourth in individual medley. Elibox captured the 50-metre freestyle in 36.57 seconds, the 11 free in 1:21.06, and the 200 free in 3:02.21, before taking the 200 IM in 3:37.46. Elibox also took silver medals in the 50m breaststroke and 50m backstroke, and bronze in 50m butterfly.
There were other medals for Sharks, including a bronze in the 10 & Under mixed 4×100 freestyle relay. That Sharks quartet comprised Tyler Frederick, Amber Francois, Emma Fortune and Elibox. Olympian Mikaili Charlemagne got silver in the 15 & Over girls’ 50m backstroke. Caden Calderon captured bronze in the 13-14 boys’ 100m breaststroke. And Jaimie Devaux held on for bronze in the 11-12 girls’ 50m breaststroke.
Fantastic performances from siblings Naima and Ethan Hazell held up Lightning Aquatics. Naima, who is at school in the US, set a meet record in the 15 & Over girls’ 50m breaststroke, finishing in 33.43 seconds for gold. She added two silver medals in the 100m breaststroke and 50m freestyle. Ethan contributed a third-place finish in the 15 & Over boys’ 50m butterfly.
Local swimmers will next be involved in the Karen Beaubrun Memorial Meet June 7-8 at the Rodney Heights Aquatic Centre.
