MoBay swimmers make big splash at Karl Dalhouse
Published:Tuesday | February 8, 2022 | 12:10 AM
A SMALL group of talented swimmers from Montego Bay, on the weekend, made the Second City proud at the 2022 Karl Dalhouse Memorial Swim Meet which took place at the National Aquatic Centre in Kingston.
The team of only 10 swimmers swam as Unattached MoBay to finished in fifth place, just behind the bigger and more established swim clubs from the Corporate Area, where YSpeedos claimed the coveted championship trophy.
Benjamin Davis broke the national age-group record for the 13-14 boys’ 800-metre freestyle with a time of 9:26.45 and contributed 51 points for the MoBay group with first-place finishes in the 100-metre freestyle, the 200 metre individual medley (IM) and 200-metre freestyle.
Leanna Wainwright also broke the meet record in the girls’ 200-metre backstroke with a time of 2:32.07 and topped the individual point standings in the girls’ 15-17 age group with 62 points. Wainright enjoyed wins in the 800-metre freestyle, 100 and 200-metre backstroke and the 200-metre freestyle.
All MoBay swimmers had outstanding performances in their respective events, with numerous personal bests in a variety of strokes and distances and all of them secured top-10 finishes, contributing to the overall fifth-place finish.
POINTS TALLY
Thirteen-year-old Leah Chin contributed 39 points and finished first in the 200-metre IM, 100- and 200-metre backstroke, respectively. For the boys’ 13–14 category, Ricardo Davis-Prevost contributed 10 points while the 11–12 boys were very well represented by Talon Longmore who added 36 points, Rhys Hunter joined in with 15 points and Matthew Eaton, an additional seven points.
The MoBay group also debuted the next generation of swimmers, diving into the 50-metre pool in Kingston for the very first time. Among that group, six-year-old Izarra Longmore contributed 12 points, finishing second in the 50-metre backstroke and fourth in the 50-metre freestyle. Longmore’s teammate, seven-year-old RyAnne Davis-Thomas, added four points, finishing fifth in the 50-metre freestyle and sixth in the 50-metre backstroke.
Another six-year-old, Hailey Wainwright, contributed four additional points, finishing sixth in the 50-metre freestyle and fifth in the 50-metre backstroke.
Cuba-born coach, Adolfo Morales, was proud, pointing out that the achievements came despite the challenges of limited facilities in the west. The children, he said, remained committed and put in the hard work to compete at the national level.
The swimmers, who balance their training between the beach and undersize pools when availability permits, are grateful for the continued support of Doctor’s Cave Beach Club and the Sea Garden Resort.
That being said, the coach says the team will be taking aim at getting members onto CARIFTA and Central American and Caribbean Swimming Championships.