Expectations high as swimmers dive into Goodwill Championships action on Friday

By August 17, 2023
(Inset) Jamaica's Head coach Gillian Millwood. (Inset) Jamaica's Head coach Gillian Millwood.

After months of hard work and training, a number of the Caribbean’s young swimming sensations will put their preparation to the test when they dive into action at the 27th staging of the much-anticipated Goodwill Swimming Championships, which gets under way on Friday.

In fact, Jamaica’s Head coach Gillian Millwood believes the highly competitive three-day meet represents an opportunity for swimmers to not only improve, but also to learn valuable lessons to take with them as they prepare to transition to next level competition.

Over 200 swimmers from Bahamas, Barbados, Grenada, Guyana, St Lucia, Suriname, Trinidad & Tobago and Turks and Caicos are expected to join their Jamaican counterparts in action at the National Aquatic Centre.

“I’m excited for our athletes and I anticipate that they will go into each race with enthusiasm and more importantly, purpose. They are filled with incredible abilities and have worked extremely hard to get where they are today and we expect to see that on display across the three days,” Millwood told Sportsmax.tv.

“Goodwill this weekend provides an opportunity for them to rise to the occasion and put forward their best race together and also to make memories with their teammates and the new friends they’ll make from the other countries, as they prepare to move to a next level,” she added.

Friday’s schedule will be highlighted by the 100m freestyle, 50m breaststroke, 100m backstroke, 4x50m mixed freestyle relay and 4x100m freestyle relay, all after an opening ceremony at 4:30pm.

Action for Saturday and Sunday is scheduled to begin at 9:00am and end at 1:00pm.

The Jamaicans will be seeking to surpass last year’s massive haul of 92 medals (33 gold, 37 silver, 22 bronze), which bettered their previous best tally of 65 medals from the 2019 staging in Suriname.

Meanwhile, Trinidad and Tobago, though missing some of their better swimmers to CCCAN duties in El Salvador, are favoured to once again top the points standing, as they topped last year’s event with 1,442 points. Jamaica (1,002 points), with Barbados (723 points), third.

Each National Federation has a maximum of 40 swimmers - four boys and four girls in the age groups eight and under, 9 to 10, 11 to 12, 13 to 14 and 15 to 17.

The member countries of the Goodwill Swimming Championship host the meet on an annual rotation basis. Trinidad and Tobago were last year’s hosts.

Sherdon Cowan

Sherdon Cowan is a five-time award-winning journalist with 10 years' experience covering sports.

Related items

  • Sammy lauds Hope’s knock but urges stronger bowling effort ahead of ODI decider against England Sammy lauds Hope’s knock but urges stronger bowling effort ahead of ODI decider against England

    West Indies white-ball coach Darren Sammy was both encouraged and frustrated after his team’s five-wicket loss to England in the second ODI in North Sound, Antigua, on Saturday.

    Despite a standout batting performance that saw West Indies post a formidable 328-6, Sammy believes missed opportunities in the bowling department ultimately handed England the edge. England chased down the total with relative ease, finishing on 329-5 with captain Liam Livingstone’s masterful unbeaten 124 leading the way.

    “It is tough. Obviously, when you put 328 on the board, you expect to win. However, that is the beauty of international cricket; at the halfway stage, when one aspect of the job is done, you can never be complacent about it. Yes, Liam Livingstone played a brilliant innings to get his team home, but I thought as a bowling group our execution was really off, hence we lost a record chase here in Antigua,” Sammy said in a post-game interview.

    While disappointed with the loss, Sammy found reasons for optimism, particularly in captain Shai Hope’s exceptional 117—his 17th ODI century—which was the highlight of the innings and pushed him to joint third on the all-time West Indies ODI century list.

    Hope received ample support from Keacy Carty (71) and Sherfane Rutherford (54), whose solid contributions underscored the team’s depth in the middle order.

    “I think we did some really good things; Shai Hope another 100, the joint fourth most by a West Indian, the way Keacy Carty batted, as well as Sherfane Rutherford making a fourth-consecutive 50. The way Matthew Forde bowled and the way Roston Chase came back after being put under pressure in the second over,” Sammy reasoned.

    “So we were right in the game until the last 10 overs, where I think they scored 100 off seven overs; that is not good enough. But I think as a team, it is about understanding where we are at and the small steps that we have to take to improve,” he noted.

    With Livingstone anchoring England’s chase alongside contributions from Phil Salt (59), Jacob Bethell (55), and Sam Curran (52), Sammy acknowledged that the West Indies bowling attack could have been more effective in applying pressure to seal the win after Hope’s brilliance.

    “I think Shai will be the first one to tell you that it (his knock) doesn’t matter because it came off a losing cause. But, as I said before, Shai Hope is a class act and one of our icons in ODI cricket, but I know he would want nothing more than a win instead of a hundred.

    “Again, it (the overall performance) shows that we are still far off but we are making little strides that will help us along our way with the goal that we have moving forward,” Sammy explained.

    With the three-match series now tied 1-1, Sammy expressed hope that West Indies will bring their best game to the decider in Barbados on Wednesday.

    “This is a rivalry, so we have all to play for at home. The last time we played in Barbados, we made history and won, so I am hoping we can again. It is two young teams looking to develop and get better in ODI cricket. Again, it is all to play for, so if the fans come out and support, in return, we have to give you guys something to smile about in Barbados,” Sammy ended.

  • T&T to host inaugural Special Olympics Regional Beach Games T&T to host inaugural Special Olympics Regional Beach Games

    Trinidad & Tobago is set to create history next month when it plays home to the first-ever Special Olympics Regional Beach Games.

    The Games is scheduled to run from November 8 to 10 and is being facilitated by Special Olympics T&T (SOTT), with the Digicel Foundation as one of the event’s main sponsors.

    This new regional event will bring together 130 athletes, 70 coaches, and delegates from Special Olympics programmes across the Caribbean and North America to compete in a variety of beach sports, including Aquathlon, Beach Bocce, Beach Soccer, Beach Volleyball and Open Water Swimming, at venues in both Trinidad and Tobago. 

    Digicel Foundation Chief Executive Officer Penny Gomez said the company was pleased to be associated with such an important event.

    “The dedication and commitment demonstrated by our special athletes and coaches is nothing short of inspiring.

    “It’s a great honour for T&T to have been selected to host the inaugural Special Olympics Regional Beach Games, and this recognition of our very own SOTT is very well-deserved,” Gomez said.

    Special Olympics T&T (SOTT) is the only Special Olympics programme that currently includes the Beach Games as an annual multi-sport event and has done so since 2016.

  • T&T's captain David, striker Garcia welcome Yorke's appointment as Soca Warriors Head coach T&T's captain David, striker Garcia welcome Yorke's appointment as Soca Warriors Head coach

    Trinidad and Tobago’s captain Aubrey David and Greece-based striker Levi Garcia welcomed the appointment of former player Dwight Yorke as the new senior Soca Warriors Head coach.

    Both David and Garcia believe Yorke’s appointment augurs well for the future of the Soca Warriors setup, as both pointed to his experience and knowledge of the game as key components to nurture young talent and, by extension, drive development.

    “I’m excited about Dwight Yorke’s appointment. His experience and knowledge of the game would be a massive plus for us. He has played at the highest level and led our country to our first World Cup, so he surely knows what it takes to get us there again,” Guatemala-based defender David stated.

    “I am very hopeful that his leadership will inspire a new era of success and development in Trinidad and Tobago football,” he added.

    Garcia echoed similar sentiments, while pointing to the fact that the former Manchester United star also have huge task of qualifying the Twin Island Republic to the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup.

    “I wish him all the best. I think he can get the job done. I really and truly believe that with the experience that he has had, and all that he has done, hopefully it could work out with his coaching career, and we could come together as one and give the country that boost,” Garcia stated.

    “Hopefully, he will be able to bring out the best not only in the team but in some of the youngsters to secure their future,” he noted.

© 2024 SportsMaxTV All Rights Reserved.