Carifta charge! - Lyn expects attack on regional swimming championships title

President of the Aquatic Sports Association of Jamaica Martin Lyn expects more medals and better times when Jamaica take the pool at the Carifta Swimming Championships, slated for April 11-14 in Barbados.

Jamaica placed second behind The Bahamas at last year’s staging, ending the regional swim meet with 59 medals (22 gold, 25 silver, and 12 bronze), their biggest medal haul in more than a decade.

Lyn admitted that going one better to the top spot is part of their agenda this year. However, he anticipates that if they fail to take the top prize, performances will be much better this year.

“We have selected 33 very prominent athletes, and most have represented Jamaica already. But we have increased the selection criteria over the years because the Carifta Games has moved from years gone by when it was seen as a development meet.

“We have seen where times are lowered over the years and countries have put their best athletes forward, and Jamaica has had to do the same thing. We select the best squad we think is possible of representing Jamaica at this high level,” Lyn said.

“We placed second last year, and you always want to work on going tops. But what I will say is that our medal count this year will surpass last year. A lot of our athletes will swim better times, and that would put them in a position to be selected for other regional championships and international meets,” he added.

Lyn said that the local association has adjusted its selection criteria to ensure that the country’s best are representing the island. Based on the new selection process, four overseas debutants in Davia Richardson (11 years), Alisha Stephenson (17 years), Noah Barrett (12 years), and Henry Grey (13 years) will represent Jamaica at this year’s championships.

“Once you swim as a Jamaican or in a Jamaican meet, your time is recorded, and that goes into our selection criteria. We form a template, and that template gives us rankings, and we have the ranking of every swimmer.

“Once you achieve a certain position in the ranking, you are eligible to represent Jamaica. The ranking is not just based on local meets but from all over … , so it’s not just swimming for your club and in club meets,” Lyn explained.

However, he said that there is no pressure on the overseas debutants to perform.

“Their times are excellent, and I know they will be putting in a good performance. But they are young, so I will look for a great progression in two to four years. But I have seen most of the athletes perform locally and internationally, and I know they all will be trying to medal at this level,” Lyn stated.

Squads:

Boys (11-12), Josh Johnson, Brad MacPherson Lewison, Benjamin Davis, Noah Barrett: (13-14), Jaedon Lynch, Devaughn Rowe, Daniel Mair, Henry Gray, Nelson Denny: (15-17), Kyle Sinclair, Nathaniel Thomas, Cameron Brown, Kito Campbell, Kahemm Lozer, Akeem Alleyne.

Girls (11-12), Christanya Shirley, Davia Richardson, Kayla Kerr, Siri Cogle: 13-14, Safiya Officer, Margon Cogle, Leanna Wainwright, Brooke Hopkins, Raine Hopkins, Giani Francis, Kokolo Foster: (15-17), Zaneta Alvaranga, Emily McDonald, Sabrina Lyn, Alisha Stephenson, Simone Vale and Ashley Hodge.