During last weekend’s GASA Independence swim meet at the Castellani Pool, Guyana’s wonder boy, Olympian Niall Roberts was among the many who, over the two days of competition, smashed the qualifying times that were set for the various events.

Based on the qualifying times, swimmers will be divided into two categories i.e. A and B. In the Boys’ 15-17 years 50m butterfly, Roberts swam a time of 26.43 secs, making the A category qualification time of 28.64 secs. He was followed in the rankings by club-mate Henk Lowe who qualified in the B category with his time of 30.30 secs.

Lowe, however, failed to make the qualifying time in the 200m freestyle which Roberts also won in the A category qualifying time of 2:03.76 – a time that also surpassed the previous record set by Jamaal Sobers.

Lowe later found redemption in the 50m backstroke which he won in a qualifying time of 32.20s (B category). Roberts went on to claim the 100m butterfly in a qualifying time of 1:00.48 (A category). He subsequently blew the competition out of the water in the 100m freestyle in which he was clocked at 53.95 secs making the A category qualifying time as well as breaking the record that was held by his older brother Yannick Roberts.

The 50m freestyle was no different as Roberts once again claimed victory and qualified for the Goodwill Games A category. Britany van Lange took the Girls’ 11-12 50m butterfly in a time of 35.64 secs (A category) making the qualifying time while simultaneously matching the standing record set by Noelle Smith.

Trailing van Lange were Aureyah Payne and Soroya Simmons who both met qualifying standard with their times of 37.20 secs and 37.64 secs respectively (B category).

van Lange also qualified in the 200m freestyle, with a time of 2:30.72 (A category), and the 50m freestyle, in which she again matched the record of Noelle Smith, with her time of 31.23 secs.

In the 100m backstroke, however, Simmons (1:21.00 (B category) turned the tables on van Lange (1:21.16 (B category) to cop the victory which toppled her (Simmons) previous record.

In the 15-17 50m butterfly Noelle Smith swam a time of 34.96s to qualify in the B category. She also made the cut in the Girls’ 15-17 100m breaststroke in which she swam 1:28.39, which was also faster than the previous record of 1:32.68 set by Jacqueline Cadogan.

Smith also qualified in the breaststroke over the 50m distance with her timing of 41.26 secs (B category) and the 50m freestyle 30.39 secs (B category).

Athena Gaskin is also among the notable mentions as she qualified in the Girls’ 13-14 100m breaststroke with her time of 1:34.01 (B category) and in the 50m freestyle in 31.86 secs (B category).

Sheik Amir was also in the qualifying ranks as he made the cut in the 13-14 100m freestyle 1:01.01 (B category) and 50m freestyle 27.45 secs (A category).