Facing a calendar packed with competitions, Guyana’s star swimmer Jessica Stephenson is prioritising the meets she will attend while trying to avoid physical burnout.
At the top of her list are the junior meets, such as the Junior CARIFTA Swimming Championships, the South American Swimming Confederation (CONSONAT) Junior Championships, the FINA (World Swimming Federation) World Junior Championships, and the Commonwealth Youth Games.
Trinidad-based Stephenson is also interested in participating in the Pan American Games, set for October in Guadalajara, Mexico. However, she noted that it would follow close on the heels of a series of events that she plans to attend. The Commonwealth Youth Games, set for September in Douglas, Isle of Man, will precede the Pan Am Games. Prior to these competitions, the World Junior Championships are set for Lima, Peru from August 15 to August 21.
As a result, Stephenson said that she will be working along with her coach and the Guyana Amateur Swimming Association (GASA) to see which events would be more advantageous to attend. “Pan Am is still a possibility but it is in October and my immediate focus will be more on the junior meets.
The Junior Worlds, Junior Commonwealth and Pan Am are close to one another and therefore may put too much stress on my body. So, I’m still in the process of prioritising which ones to choose with my coach and the GASA,” Stephenson said.
The annual CARIFTA Swimming Championships are usually coordinated for staging in the early part of the year, during the Easter vacation (March – April), while the biennial CONSONAT Championship are also scheduled for sometime in March.
Last year, Stephenson was a part of the two-member team that represented Guyana in the CARIFTA Championship, where she captured three medals—two gold medals and one silver—in her breaststroke events. Additionally, she was the sole swimmer representing Guyana at the Central America and the Caribbean Games held last July, in Puerto Rico, and at the Commonwealth Games in India, during October. At both competitions, Stephenson produced personal best times in her events.
Stephenson also displayed noteworthy performances at the ASATT International Invitational held in Trinidad and Tobago last month. However, she represented her Trinidad and Tobago swimming club, Marlins Swim Club, at the meet.
