The Amateur Swimming Association of Jamaica (ASAJ) is brimming with pride over the advances made in the discipline of artistic swimming.
For the first time, Jamaica was represented at the Junior and Youth International Open held in the United States and Nyouka Baugh and Sarah Anderson placed seventh and eighth in their respective categories at the United States-hosted event.
Baugh competed in the Nation Teams Division, while Anderson took part in the Club Division. A total of 26 teams from 19 countries participated and the ASAJ is delighted about the standards shown by its athletes on their first showing at the international level.
They are even more encouraged by the performances given the difficulties encountered due to limitations brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. These included training opportunities and funding as access was basically cut off because their programmes have been at a virtual standstill for almost two years.
For the latter, they have expressed gratitude to their sponsors that included Eustace Lee and the Jamaica Olympic Association (JOA), as their input ensured participation, thus creating a platform for the sport’s growth.
“I do want to say special thanks to the Jamaica Olympic Association. It’s because of their funding why we were able to participate in this event,” said Maureen Smith, first Vice President, ASAJ.
The Junior and Youth International Open were held in Clearwater, Florida recently and Smith noted the importance of the event as competition for its athletes and rankings.
“Since the sport was first introduced to Jamaica in 1998, we have had many achievements at regional competitions and a few international invitationals and virtual events, but never had the opportunity to participate at this level,” Smith said. “These are the kinds of events that will help us improve our ranking.”
Supporting sporting athletes in all disciplines has been part of the JOA’s blueprint and Ryan Foster, JOA’s CEO and Secretary-General said they will continue that thrust.
“The JOA will continue to be expansive in our support to our member associations. We have 51 members and are all equal in the context of our vision for sports development in Jamaica and will be given equal opportunities to achieve. Achievements are not only characterized by medals won, but also the sacrifices that have been made by our men and women to not only represent their brand, but their country as well,” Foster said.
“The support of the artistic swimming team is well within the context of our ‘Sport-for-All’ mandate and the achievements of Sarah and Nyouka are well documented. We are extremely proud of Maureen and Martin (Lyn) in the work being done by the ASAJ to grow the sport in Jamaica.
“Our recent investment of around $1 million in the artistic swimming team has already paid dividends and investments in the next generation of swimmers will be a part of the ‘Sport for All’ initiative for France 2024."
Lyn, the ASAJ President, expressed pleasure at gains made by the sport.
“As president, I'm really proud that we are attending international events like this, it goes a long way in developing our programme,” he said. “I'm very proud that another discipline of aquatics is on the up and up because we finished seventh and eighth. The fact is that we were still way up there in achievements ... finishing seventh and eighth out of 19 countries is quite remarkable.”
Commenting on support, Lyn commended the National Olympic Committee, saying: “We just really appreciate the help from the JOA. Even though at this time it is a minor discipline, Jamaica has the potential to grow ... the only way you're able to grow is if the younger swimmers are given opportunities to improve.”
He added: “The funds from the JOA allowed us to send two coaches, including a junior coach and she, in the learning curve will make another coach in the programme going forward. It’s important for the transference of knowledge, she will be another coach to help in developing talent.”
Lyn noted that swimming’s talent pool had diminished, owing to the COVID-19 pandemic as “a lot of parents have withdrawn their children from aquatics because parents want to keep their children safe”.
Additionally, the competition involves much synchronisation and close routines, which were impacted by distancing in training, with many of the routines practised on land because instructions cannot be given while they are underwater.
“It's a practical approach that a lot of movement and placing has to be done on land,” said Lyn, noting the way it has added to their feeling of accomplishment.
Smith says they are looking to go further.
“We don't intend to stop here as our ultimate goal is to get to the World Championships and, of course, Olympics,” she said. “But it will require a collective effort to get there.”
Adam Peaty and Duncan Scott named in Team GB swimming squad for Paris Olympics
Adam Peaty and Duncan Scott have been included in Team GB’s 33-strong swimming squad for this summer’s Olympics.
Peaty secured his spot at Paris 2024 at the British Championships earlier this month and will be gunning for a third successive gold medal in his signature men’s 100 metres breaststroke event.
He set the fastest time for 2024 in the discipline at the British trials after a turbulent past couple of years in which he has struggled with injuries and a much-publicised battle with his mental health.
“I’m thrilled to have made my third Olympic team,” Peaty said. “It’s always amazing to be part of Team GB, but with it being so close to home in Paris this summer, and us having more home fans there supporting us, it’s even more exciting.”
Scott, who became the first Briton to win four medals at a single Games at Tokyo 2020, also booked his passage by winning the men’s 200m individual medley and finishing as runner-up to Matt Richards in the men’s 100m and 200m freestyle events in London a couple of weeks ago.
Richards aims to break Scott’s record and become the first Briton to win five medals at one Games and has been chosen, as has Tom Dean although the double Olympic champion will almost certainly not defend the men’s 200m freestyle title he won in Tokyo after failing to get a top-two spot in the British trials.
Freya Colbert and Oliver Morgan are among 10 swimmers who will make their Olympic debuts, while Freya Anderson has been selected despite missing out on automatic qualification after contracting glandular fever at the start of the year.
Team GB won a record eight medals in the pool in Tokyo, surpassing their previous best of seven from the 1908 Games.
“Team GB has a proud tradition in Olympic swimming competitions, and I am delighted to welcome all 33 athletes to the team for Paris 2024,” said Team GB chef de mission Mark England.
“The strength and depth of our pool swimming team was evident to see at the recent Aquatics GB Swimming Championships, and along with the 10 swimmers making their debut for Team GB it is fantastic to welcome back seven Olympic Champions and nine Olympic medallists.
“I have no doubt the thrilling races we saw at the British Championships last week will be equally close fought.”
Americas Paralympic Committee gains autonomy, assumes ownership of regional games from IPC
The Americas Paralympic Committee (APC), the regional governing body for Paralympic sports for North, South and Central America and the Caribbean with a membership of 33 countries, has gained autonomy from the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), the global apex body.
The APC will now assume full ownership and delivery of senior and junior para regional games. In previous years, the IPC managed and sponsored those games but, after a period of several discussions and negotiations, the regional events have fallen to the APC and directors of the Jamaica Paralympic Association (JPA) are playing an instrumental role in history making.
President of the Jamaica Paralympic Association (JPA), Christopher Samuda and JPA directors, Ryan Foster, Carmen Patterson and Winfield Boban are committing their professional expertise and experience in building the new APC.
Samuda, an attorney-at-law, is an APC executive board director and will spearhead legal and corporate governance affairs while Foster, a chartered accountant, will, as co-chairman of the Finance Commission, pilot the financial viability and fortunes of the regional body. Patterson, a corporate communications specialist, will join regional experts in delivering the brand and marketing strategies and activations of the APC and Boban will bring to the educational portfolio his knowledge and experience gained, particularly as a practitioner in rehabilitation management and prosthetics.
The IPC, the global governing body, delivers every four years the world’s largest multi-sport para event, the Paralympic Games, which this year will take place in Paris, France, from August 28 to September 8. The Santiago 2023 Para Panamerican Games, which was held in Chile, from November 17 to 26, witnessed the IPC’s last ownership of the games.
Commenting on the historic role Jamaica will play Samuda said: “It is in our sporting DNA to construct, for the able with a difference, the present and future based on values in the hope that our work and that of our colleagues will birth an apex regional sporting body of probity which history will record as revolutionary and visionary.”
Foster, advocates the imperative of a sound financial framework and base and gives a clear signal of what will be approach. “The sub-structure of any organization is crucial to the profitability of its superstructure and frugal management of expenses, innovative investment and revenue strategies as well as disciplined treasury operations are foundational to success.”
With the APC assuming ownership, there will be “a dominant focus on establishing and monetizing international partnerships and commercializing proprietary rights and games’ media broadcast rights” Samuda said “while building regional capacity through the delivery of business and technical activations during and external to games,” he further added.
Games are the lifeblood of governing regional and international bodies and Foster makes the case that “APC will be to its stakeholders more than a breath of fresh air as it will represent for them the very essence and excellence of para sports.”
The heart of the Paralympic movement across the multi-lingual continents of the Americas and the Caribbean archipelago, the APC is keeping an appointment with destiny.
Alert, Barrett continue to bask in Carifta Swim Champs accomplishments; praise team effort
The 37th Carifta Swimming Championships has come and gone, but the experience of representing one's country on one of the biggest stages in the region has left an indelible mark on the younger participants, in particular, to the point where they continue to revel in their accomplishments.
Jamaica's Kia Alert and Noland Barrett are two such swimmers, who though not new to national representation, basked in the fact that they rose to the occasion and displayed their immense potential with standout performances that assisted the country to its 45-medal tally, including 18 gold, 12 silver and 15 bronze.
The 27-member Jamaican team also placed fourth on the points standing with combined total of 559 points, behind host The Bahamas (1,096.50 points), who secured an unprecedented sixth-straight Carifta Swimming Championship victory. Cayman Islands (660 points), Trinidad and Tobago (639 points), and Barbados (486.50 points) were the other top five teams.
Alert, who competed in the girls’ 11-12 division, relished her second outing at the championship, as she earned most points for Jamaica. She copped gold in the 50m and 100m breaststroke, the 50m and 100m freestyle, as well as in the 50m butterfly, and those were complemented by silver in the 200m breaststroke and 200m individual medley (IM).
“I really felt like I was prepared enough to do really well, and I was excited just to put the hours of hard work on display, so I was really happy and proud hearing the National anthem after I won, knowing that all the hard work paid off,” Alert said.
“I also felt good about my other performances because I know I tried my hardest even on the third day when I had the 200m IM, 100m breast and 50m free, I tried my hardest and succeeded so I am really grateful that I came out healthy,” she added.
While delighted with her personal haul, Alert praised her teammates, Christanya Shirley and others, who in a consistent show of spirit and talent, also contributed significantly to Jamaica’s medal haul. That togetherness and pride she said is what swimmers count on to keep going, especially when things don’t go as expected in the pool.
“Team Jamaica’s performances deserve tremendous commendation. After a slow start, each member of the team gave their best and everyone contributed to our total points tally. For each day of the competitions there were several personal best performances seen, so even if swimmers did not medal, they did well enough to achieve PBs and that’s enough to be proud of,” Alert reasoned.
Meanwhile, the overseas-based Barrett, who had a credible outing at CCCAN last year, was making his debut at the Carifta Swimming Championships and contested finals in most of his events in the boys’ 13-14 category. He won gold in the 100m, 200m and the 400m freestyle events.
“Going into the Carifta Games I was excited to not only see my teammates I haven't seen in a while, but more importantly, to perform very well. I had a lot of fun being there and also dropping a lot of times and securing personal best, and while hearing the national anthem, I was proud that I was representing my country,” Barrett shared.
“So, I was really satisfied with my performances, I am more excited about the 400m free where I ended up dropping 11 seconds and I was really proud of how much I was able to accomplish on my first year and knowing that I have next year to do even better,” he noted.
Barrett contested the 13-14 age group alongside, Matthew Kennedy, Kai Radcliffe and others, who also produced credible performances.
Kennedy mined bronze in the 100m and 200m freestyle to go with his other top eight finishes, while Radcliffe, known for his breaststroke prowess, secured gold in the 50m and 100m breaststroke, and silver in the 200m breaststroke.
Radcliffe also flirted with the 50m breaststroke national age group record of 30.94s held by Kito Campbell, with his 30.98s-clocking.
Like Alert, Barrett, 14, pointed out that the team spirit was based on pride, passion and performance.
“I am proud of the team's performance, and I believe every athlete should be celebrated for their effort. All the coaches who prepared the swimmers for qualification and the championship should be proud of how they performed. We all stood strong, performed strong and gave out best to achieve what we did for Jamaica,” Barrett ended.
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