THE Guyanese duo who recently competed at the CONSANAT South American Swimming and Diving Championships in Argentina believe improvement is around the corner as they campaign for a spot at the Tokyo Olympic Games. Andrew Fowler and Leon Seaton each contested three events at the meet which was hosted in Buenos Aires, but failed to make much of an impact at that point of the journey. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) had extended the general qualification deadline for all athletes to June 29, 2021, with the understanding that international federations could still define their own deadlines before this date.
This leaves the Guyanese team an approximation of three months to improve their time stamps. Following the tournament, both Fowler and Seaton made an

assessment of their performances. Fowler said, “I’m grateful for the opportunity to race at this meet. I haven’t been racing in like 13 months, and I just gained access to the pool in mid-January so it was like a month and a half preparation for the games. “So we didn’t rest, we just used the games as a training meet just to get actual racing back under our belts, so I’m not disappointed with the performances nor am I satisfied but I’m just grateful for the opportunity to be able to race at the games.”
“Getting back to racing after 13 months is difficult. Think about 13 months in a sport whereby you need a lot of timing and racing to get the touches together. So, after the long wait it kind of makes you lose your touches in the pool and your skills.

So it’s going to take a lot of racing to get back to where I was and to build the confidence that I need, and with the training we’re moving forward with, I am confident that we’re going to get the time we need in time to come. So I’m grateful for the opportunity to race once again. It’s a gauge to see where I’m at, at the moment.”
Meanwhile, Seaton acknowledged the crunched time period remaining and is convinced that there is work to be done.
He disclosed, “With the work I’ve been doing I can see that there have been results. So once I continue to work, I believe it is possible that the opportunity may arise and I may get on board.” Seaton further stated that he was very happy with the results that he produced, but it’s back to the drawing board for him.
“The opportunity that was given to me was a memorable one, and I took it up, and I came out and rose to the occasion. Being my first international swim meet I did really well.” The meet which concluded exactly a week ago saw the pair compete in the Men’s 50m and 100m Freestyle and the Men’s 50m Butterfly.