The intense rivalry between Amy Grant and Sarah King ended Sunday with Grant getting the better of her opponent en route to winning the girls 11-12-years-old 100m backstroke and 50m freestyle events of the Guyana Amateur Swimming Association Long Course Independence championships at the National Aquatic Centre, Liliendaal.
Grant recorded personal best times in both races taking seven seconds off her 100m backstroke time and two seconds off her 50m freestyle time.
The girls’ 50m freestyle event was the most intense race between Grant and King and had spectators on their feet as the race boiled down to close finish.
King had the better start but appeared to lose her technique after the first 25m of the race and was forced to settle for second place clocking 35.53 seconds to Grant’s 35.02 seconds.
The 11-year-old Grant also won the 100m backstroke event in 1:41.96 seconds ahead of King’s 1:54.61 seconds.
Olympian Britney van Lange, of Bishops’ High School won the girls 15-17 50m freestyle race in 29.31 seconds. Van Lange told Stabroek Sport that she was only able to compete Sunday since she is presently sitting the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) exams.
Athena Gaskin clocked 31.09 seconds and settled for second place to van Lange in the 50m freestyle event. Gaskin, though, won the 100m freestyle and 50m butterfly events in 1:10.30s and 35.28s respectively, both times personal bests.
Gaskin’s brother Hannibal, swam away with two events in the boys 15-17 years category.
He won the 100m freestyle and 50m butterfly events but lost the 50m freestyle race to Omar Adams.
Gaskin recorded 1:01.95 seconds in the 100m freestyle and 30.31 seconds in the 50m butterfly event ahead of Adams and Omari Dunn who finished second and third respectively in 1:04.79 seconds and 1:10.78 seconds and 32.09 seconds and 33.34 seconds.
Adams snatched the 50m freestyle event from Gaskin with a new personal best time of 27.75 seconds. Gaskin and Andy Yansen finished second and third respectively in 27.80 seconds and 30.34 seconds.
Dylan Nurse won the boys 13-14 years, 100m freestyle, 50m butterfly and 50m freestyle events in personal best performances of 1:07.96 seconds, 31.26 seconds and 28.78 seconds respectively.
Two-time Olympian Niall Roberts raced against the clock and bettered his previous time in the boys 18 years and over 50m freestyle event with 24.84 seconds.
Other personal best performances came from Aylssa Nurse, Daniel Scott, Riley Nurse, David Scott, Raekwon Noel, Naomi King, Ken Sahadeo and Lazaro Fraser.
Meanwhile, Dr. Karen Pilgrim, Vice President of GASA, expressed gratitude to the volunteers that contributed to the success of the Championship.
The next GASA competition according to Dr. Pilgrim will be the July Sprint scheduled for July 5-7.
Dr Pilgrim said the Guyana Goodwill Team will be selected from this competition and will represent compete in Barbados during August at the Games.
