–Scott leads medal count

By Tamica Garnett in Suriname
IT was yet another difficult year for the Guyana swim team at the Inter Guiana Games, as our youngsters faced off against their Surinamese counterparts and came up short,

finishing in second place with 150 points and 29 medals including 10 silver, when the competition concluded yesterday.

Suriname ended with 224 points, after successfully defending both the boys and girls team titles, and taking all of the gold medals for the day, as the one-day competition played out at the Parima Pool in Parimaribo, Suriname.
Though Guyana failed to clinch any gold medals, it was not from a lack of trying, with Nathan Hackett and Daniel Scott putting in formidable effort in several events but being edged out.

In the boys’ 200m, Scott seemed almost certain to win Guyana’s first gold of the day; the hopefulness on the faces of his teammates showed as they cheered him on.
However, Enrico Molly put paid to the Guyanese’ aspirations.
The hope emerged as Scott took an early lead in the event, but as things came down to the first 100m, it was clear that Molly was becoming a serious threat. By the 100m turn, Molly was right up under Scott with no sign of letting up, though Scott maintained a slight advantage that kept the hope alive.

The two continued to go head-to-head as they put quite some distance between the other competitors, leaving Guyanese Antonio Rodrigues and Suriname’s Justin Muler to fight for third.
As the race approached its climax, Molly edged pass Scott, touching the wall in 2:08.55s, just a split second before Scott, who’s time was 2:08.80s. The third place battle was won by Rodrigues, clocking 2:18.70s

Still yearning to see a gold for his country, Scott gave it another fierce go when he came out in the 50m breaststroke, battling with Muler, for the second time for the day.
Muler was hardly phased by his freestyle last-place finish, and would go on to pick up the gold, his second for the day, with a time of 33.06 seconds, as Scott touched the wall in 33.45 seconds, for his third silver medal.

Rodrigues picked up another bronze, on a 35.50 seconds finish.
Earlier in the morning, Muler had also gotten the better of Scott in the 200m IM, as he romped to a 1:15.83s finish, over Scott, who had picked up Guyana’s first silver medal in 1:16.98 seconds in the event.

Scott’s final medal would be a bronze, in the 100m butterfly (1:06.21s). Suriname’s Yael Tjouw won the gold in one minute, 19 seconds.
To his credit Hacket added three more silver to Guyana’s medal pool, being taken down by Molly in the boys 50m and 100m backstroke, and losing in a close race to Jeremiah Vianen in the 50m freestyle.
Hackett had a 32.81 seconds in the 50m backstroke, behind a 29.05 second finish from Molly.

Molly took 1:08.29s in the 100m backstroke, while Hackett needed 1:10.96s. In both backstroke events, Guyana’s Leon Seaton was third, with a 33.58 seconds in the 50m distance, and 1:13.79s across the 100m.
The 50m freestyle was a much tighter race with all top three finishers clocking below 27 seconds, just split seconds from each other. The top time of 26.37 seconds was attained by Vianen, while on his heels Hackett and Muler clocked 26.56 seconds and 26.76 seconds, respectively.

Guyana’s only other individual silver medalist was Accalia Khan, dashing to 2:34.63s in the girls’ 200m freestyle, sliding in behind Tatjana Graanoogst, who was six seconds ahead.
Teshanna Hunter placed third with 2:49.5s.
Guyana also had three team silver in the mixed medley and freestyle relays.

The full list of medalists in swimming is as follows:
Daniel Scott – 3 silver, 1 bronze
Nathan Hackett – 3 silver
Accalia Khan – 1 silver, 1 bronze
Antonio Rodrigues – 4 bronze
Kenita Mahaica – 4 bronze
Lian Winter – 2 bronze
Alex Winter – 2 bronze
Leon Seaton – 2 bronze
Nikita Fiedtkou – 2 bronze
Teshanna Hunter – 1 bronze
Relays – 3 silver