IN sweltering heat on Saturday at the National Aquatic Centre at Liliendaal, the Swimming segment of the Inter-Guiana Games (IGG) Suriname enjoyed the opening day in the pool, capturing eight gold medals. French Guiana won four golds while host Guyana claimed one.
Watched by a fair-sized gathering, which included Guyana’s Deputy Director of Sport Franklin Wilson and the Sports Minister of the Dutch-speaking Suriname, Lalinie Gopaul, Suriname and French Guiana dominated in the water.

The Guyanese contingent emerged with a single gold medal, two silver medals and four bronze medals.
Swimming in the Boys 12-18 100 metres breaststroke, the 17-year-old Aarav Singh won the gold in his third outing at the IGG with a time of 1.09.93 to register a personal best.
Singh, who also swam at the Goodwill Games, said it was a good feeling to capture his gold medal after a rigorous four- week training regimen of endurance work before focusing on speed work.
The Sookram brothers Jeremy and Jeron, showed promise while their sister Jessica was a part of the 12-18 200 metres medley relay team that won the silver medal. Elissa Shipley-Thompson was also a member of that team.
Shipley-Thomson, swimming in the Girls’ 50-metre backstroke, clocked 36.32 to take the bronze medal.
The Sookram brothers collected medals in the Boys 50-metre backstroke. Jeremy won silver in a time of 30.55 while Jeron took bronze with a time of 31.57. The race was won by Ishmael Holtuin of Surname in a time of 27.64. Jeremy Sookram won bronze in the Boys’ 50-metres butterfly.
The action is scheduled to commence today at 10:00hrs