Gaskin, George twins spearhead IGG Swimming team
Olympian Hannibal Gaskin
Olympian Hannibal Gaskin

OLYMPIAN Hannibal Gaskin and Goodwill Swim Meet medallists, Jadyn and Danielle George, lead the list of twelve swimmers who will be representing Guyana at this Inter-Guiana ‘Goodwill’ Games, that will be contested later next month in Guyana at the National Aquatic Centre in Liliendaal. Gaskin leads the Boys’ team which also includes Goodwill Swim Meet 2016 silver medallist Phillip DeNobrega, bronze medallists Nathan Hackett and Omar Adams, as well as Antonio Rodrigues and Alex Winter, while Daniel Scott will be on standby.
The George twins will be joined on the female team by fellow Goodwill Swim Meet medallist Kenita Mahaica, Lian Winter, Anna Isaacs and Amy Grant. Acting as a standby for the girls team is Nikita Fiedtkou.

Twin sisters Jadyn and Danielle George at Goodwill Swim Meet in August 2016
Twin sisters Jadyn and Danielle George at Goodwill Swim Meet in August 2016

The team will come up against a powerhouse team from Suriname, where the swimmers are likely face many swimmers whom they competed against at the regional Goodwill Swim Meet that was held last month.
Team manager, Leon Seaton, is confident that the team of swimmers will give of their best, and utilise the exposure to push themselves, competitively. He did, however, disclose that a few swimmers are way below the 19 years celling that the competition allows, while it is expected that many of the Suriname swimmers may be much older and have an advantage over Guyana.
“I would say we are going strong for a good competitive competition and our swimmers will be prepared by coach Shyka (Gonsalves), taking into consideration that most of our swimmers are very young. They have not reached the age of 19 years, except for Hannibal and Omar.
“I am of the view the competition will give our younger ones the exposure they need at this time, and they will do their best.” Seaton said in an interview with this publication.
Nonetheless a lot of the swimmers on this year’s team can be considered proficient in their own right, with at least moderate experience under their belts.
Gaskin, by far is the most experienced one on the team, having performed at numerous events both regionally and internationally. He most recently returned from participating at the Rio Olympics where he set a new national record of 58.57 seconds in the men’s 100m butterfly.
The George sisters were Guyana’s most accomplished swimmers at this year’s Goodwill Swim Meet where Jadyn won three gold and Danielle three silver medals, though in the much younger Girls 11-12 category. Also performing well earlier this year at the same meet were Phillip DeNobrega, Hackett, and Kenita Mahaica.
Meanwhile earlier this year, in June Adams captured bronze medal at the Aquatic Centre International Invitational swim in Barbados. It remains to be seen if the team can push hard enough and take the competition away from Suriname.
The team is currently undergoing vigorous training at NAC in preparation for the meet. They train Mondays through Saturdays, except for Tuesdays, with sessions in the morning and again in the afternoon.
Guyana had finished third in the swimming at IGG when the annual competition was last held in 2014, and had also included a delegation from French Guiana. This year’s event goes on without the participation of French Guiana at the multi-sport event.
Swimming is one of seven disciplines that will be part of the competition, the others being volleyball, basketball, futsal, table tennis, athletics, and badminton.

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