The closing curtain of the Carifta Swimming Championships in Curacao resulted in an exciting finish for Team Antigua & Barbuda. Antigua and Barbuda National team informed that four more medals were picked up.
The races started with the 400 m Freestyle events, and Antigua immediately captured two silver medals in the 11-12 girl’s and boy’s events with swimmers Anya DeGannes and Reuben Edwards.
Reuben was poised for the gold but miscounted his laps, thinking he had finished. He lost momentum returning to complete the final two laps, which cost him the gold to his close competitor from the Bahamas.
Ellie Shaw brought home gold in the 13-14 girl’s 100 breaststrokes in a refined style, clocking a new Carifta record and establishing a new National Record in a time of 1:14.28. She also broke the old Carifta record in the 50 Breast the day before, but the new record is now held by Martinique, who won that event.
13-14 age grouper Madison MacMillan, a Carifta first timer, clocked a personal best in the 200m backstroke in a time of 2:33.97 to bring home bronze and broke the old national record of 2:39.63 held by Gabriella Gittens since 2016.
Other finalists included Tivon Benjamin in the 15-17 boys 400 Freestyle in 8th place; Selah Wiltshire in the 13-14 girl’s 100 breaststrokes in a PB time of 1:23.72, resulting in a 5th place finish; Reuben Edwards in 11-12 boy’s 50 Freestyle finishing in 8th place.
The Bahamas again won the championship with 1113 points, over the Cayman Islands with 752 points and Trinidad & Tobago with 534 points.
In total, Antigua captured ten medals; 2 gold, four silver and four bronze
Anya DeGannes (11) – 1 silver, two bronze (400 Free, 100 Fly & 200 Free)
Reuben Edwards (12) – 2 silver (200 & 400 Free)
Ellie Shaw (14) – 2 gold, one silver (200 & 100 Breast, 50 Breast)
Selah Wiltshire (14) – 1 bronze (50 Breast)
Madison MacMillan (14) 1 bronze (200 Back)
Seven (7) new Age Group Records & National Records we established at the meet.
