Bermuda's talented young swimmers continued to impress on the final day of pool competition at the CARIFTA Aquatics Championship in Trinidad, with Thomas Cechini adding to his medal tally in a nail-biting finish.
Cechini, who had already secured two Bronze Medals earlier in the Championships, entered the 15-17 Boys 400 LC Meter Freestyle Final with high hopes. He delivered a fantastic performance, touching the wall in a time of 4:07.78 seconds to claim his third bronze medal of the meet. The race was incredibly tight at the finish, with Cechini finishing just a fraction of a second behind Aruba's Perna Fernandes, who took silver in 4:07.77, and Trinidad's Liam Carrington, who won gold in 4:07.08.
Sylvia Lim also competed in a final on the last day, taking to the pool for the 11-12 Girls 200 LC Meter Backstroke Final. She finished a creditable fifth in the event, clocking a time of 2:48.11.
Junior Female Athlete of the Year Katherine Wheddon narrowly missed out on a medal in the 15-17 Girls 400 LC Meter Freestyle Final. Despite swimming a personal best time of 4:42.94 seconds, she finished in fourth place. Her teammate Marleigh Howes also competed in the same final, finishing eleventh and also achieving a personal best time of 4:46.64.
Connor Hupman was the final Bermudian in action in the pool, competing in the 15-17 Boys 400 LC Meter Freestyle final. He finished eighth in the event with a time of 4:18.04.
Earlier in the day, Wheddon produced a stunning swim in the preliminaries of the 15-17 Girls 400 LC Meter Freestyle, clocking a personal best time of 4 minutes 42.94 seconds to qualify fastest for the final. Howes, who also swam a personal best time of 4 minutes 46.64 seconds to secure the fourth-fastest qualifying spot.
In the 15-17 Boys 400 LC Meter Freestyle, Connor Hupman recorded the second-fastest qualifying time of 4 minutes 18.04 seconds, also achieving a new personal best in the process.
Bermuda will also be represented in the 11-12 Girls 200 LC Meter Backstroke final by Sylvia Lim. She qualified in sixth place with a time of 2 minutes 49.42 seconds, ensuring her participation in the final.
Howes and Wheddon also competed in the 15-17 Girls 50 LC Meter Freestyle. Howes finished 18th with a time of 28.06 seconds, while Wheddon clocked another personal best time of 28.83 seconds to finish 30th. Thomas Cechini and Connor Hupman also participated in the 15-17 Boys 50 LC Meter Freestyle. Cechini finished 14th with a personal best time of 24.54 seconds, and Hupman placed 20th with a time of 24.95 seconds.
Cechini's third medal brings Bermuda's total medal count in the CARIFTA Aquatics Championships to an impressive three bronze medals, adding to the silver medal won by Cameron Adkins in the track and field events earlier in the Games. The performances of all the young swimmers highlight the bright future of aquatics in Bermuda.
|
