THE Guyana Amateur Swimming Association (GASA) has officially named its team, which includes nine swimmers, for next month’s CARIFTA Swimming Championships in Barbados.The swimmers are: Boys – Omar Adams, Phillip DeNobrega, Antonio Hussein, Daneil Scott, and Sekhel Tzedeq and Girls – Accalia Khan, Onika George, Jamila Sanmoogan and Kenita Mahaica. Team Officials are Shyka Gonsalves as the team coach, Shefetah Tzedeq, as team manager and Loren Mahaica as female chaperone.

Noticeably missing from the list is Hannibal Gaskin who qualified for a number of events in the Boys 15-17 category.
However, a recent car accident left the Goodwill Swimming Championships gold medallist with a broken ankle, forcing him to withdraw from representing Guyana at the event. Had he attended this would have been Gaskin’s first time attending the age-group category event.
Gaskin would not have been alone as a newcomer to the event had he attended. This year’s team is principally made up of first-timers, with George being the only athlete on the team with previous CARIFTA experience under her belt. George was Guyana’s lone representative at the event back in 2013 when the event was held in Jamaica.
At 11 years old Sekhel is the youngest member on the team, swimming in the Boys 11-12 category. Tzedeq is set to participate in the 50m and 100m backstroke and 50m freestyle.
Hussein and Scott, participating in the Boys 13-14, will compete in six events apiece – the only participants on the team to take part in so many events.
Both boys will be in the 50m, 100m and 200m freestyle events of their category, as well as the 50m breaststroke, and 50m butterfly. Additionally, Hussein will be in the 50m backstroke, while Scott will be in the 50m butterfly.
Adams and DeNobrega will contest in the Boys 15-17 category, each entering in four events apiece. The pair will come up against some of the Caribbean’s best, as well as against each other in the 50m freestyle. Adams will also be in the 50m and 100m butterfly, whereas DeNobrega will be in the 50m and 100m backstroke, and 100m freestyle.
On the distaff end, Kenita Mahaica will contend in the Girls 13-14, while George, Khan and Sanmoogan will take on the Girls 15-17 category. Mahaica, Khan and Sanmoogan will participate in three events while George will be in four.
The nine-member team marks one of the largest that Guyana has fielded to the event in the past five years.
The swimmers have been training assiduously under the watchful eyes of Gonsalves and Cuban coach Isabella Couso Fals.
Training two sessions per day, they hit the pool early from 05:45hrs to 07:30hrs then again from 17:00hrs for another session ending at 20:00hrs.
While expectations are high for the team’s performances, team manager Tzedeq said aspirations are more aimed at ensuring that the team make full use of the exposure afforded to them as opposed to idealistic medal expectations. Tzedeq said medal hopes are there but they are not as high on the agenda, given the inexperience of the team.
“The expectation is first for them to get exposure, and we’re hoping everybody is going to at least beat their personal best time.” Tzedeq said.
The team is set to leave Guyana on April 3 and return on April 8.

By Tamica Garnett