http://www.trinidadexpress.com/20160303/sports/thompson-headlines-carifta-swim-team Thompson headlines Carifta swim team
Published on Mar 3, 2016, 8:14 pm AST
By Mark Pouchet
Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee and First Citizens Junior Male Athlete of the Year 2015 Jeron Thompson, will lead a fully-subscribed 36-member Trinidad and Tobago swim team into battle at the XXXI Carifta Swimming Championships in Martinique from March 21-26.
The last time the Amateur Swimming Association of Trinidad and Tobago named a fully-subscribed 36-member team was the 2007 edition of the games in Kingston, Jamaica, when T&T were both third in the points standings (849.5) and medal count (74- 22 gold, 28 silver, 24 bronze) behind the French Combined team and the Bahamas.
This year, the ASATT Council decided to soften the qualifying times for this country, which has traditionally had the most stringent qualifying criteria of all Caribbean countries, which allowed ASATT to provide relays in five of six age-groups (Boys 13-14 was the exception).
For last year's Barbados edition of the Carifta, ASATT named a 27-member team that replicated the accomplishment of the 2007 squad, (third in points-494.5 and medal count -38- 12 gold, 13 silver, 13 bronze).
The increased relay representation—there are 20 relay events with each one offering double points—should bolster the team's drive to win their first Carifta title since the 29-member T&T team at the 2010 edition in Jamaica when they scored 1,011 points and gained 94 medals (46 gold, 31 silver and 17 bronze).
Also at last year's edition, Thompson won six medals in the Boys 13-14 age-group, nabbing one gold medal in the 50m backstroke, four silver medals in the 50m butterfly, 50m breaststroke, 50m freestyle, and 100m breaststroke and one bronze in the 100m freestyle, helping the team
Thompson goes up this year to the Boys 15-17 group but will still be looking to medal in those same events.
He will be supported on the female side by Amira Pilgrim, a female nominee at the First Citizens Youth Awards ceremony back in January and who was his teammate at the Commonwealth Youth Games in Samoa last September.
Multiple Carifta medallist Kael Yorke is also expected to contribute to the team effort as are experienced campaigners like foreign-based Racine Ross and Jada Chai.
The ASATT Council ratified the team yesterday, four days after the completion of their National Age Group Swimming Championships.
The T&T Open Water team, which is expected to be led by top local open water swimmer Christian Marsden (also part of the swim team) will be selected tomorrow after the Carifta Open Water trials at the Pointe-a-Pierre Yacht Club on the same day.
Following is the Trinidad and Tobago Carifta team
Girls
11-12: Adriana Gooding, Regan Allen, Terri Yates, Naomi Patterson, Sierra Reis, Victoria Gillette, De Nicha Lewis
13-14: Danielle Williams, Deshor Edwards, Vrisnelit Faure, Jada Chai, Jada Chatoor, Jahmia Harley, Sabrina David, Chisara Santana
15-17: Ornella Walker, Ariel Cape, Amira Pilgrim, Racine Ross, Aliyah Noel, Shania David, Teresa Otero
Boys
11-12: Malik Nelson, Riquelio Joseph, Johan-Matthew Matamoro, Marquise Nelson.
13-14: Luke Gillette
15-17: Justin Samlalsingh, Aidan Goin, Emil Goin, Kael Yorke, Christian Marsden, Graham Chatoor, Jeron Thompson, Dario Omiss.