By Melton Williams,
Staff Reporter
ELEVEN local clubs will be challenged by the Panama's Barracuda and Delfines Azules swim clubs today and over the next two days in the Cari-Med Karl Dalhouse Memorial International swim meet at the National Stadium pool.
The meet received a timely boost through a sponsorship package worth more than $300,000 and as a result organisers are expecting high performances from more than 300 swimmers.
Today's action starts at 5:30 p.m. and 11 events are down to be contested. Among them are the freestyle, breaststroke and freestyle relays. Tomorrow, there will be two sessions - the first of which will start at 8:00 a.m. with the 200m butterfly and individual medley. The second session is set for 4:00 p.m. and features the 100m freestyle for age groups 11-12, 13-14 and 15 and over. Action tomorrow will get off at 9:00 a.m. with the 200m breastroke for 11-12 and 13 and over. The 200m medley relays will bring an end to the meet.
One area of interest during the meet will be the 13-14 girls age group which features Raine Paulson-Andrews, who is highly thought of in local swimming circles.
Paulson-Andrews, the Caribbean Island Swimming Champion, who competes for Montego Bay All Stars, is one of six swimmers expected by the Swimming Association of Jamaica (ASAJ) to qualify for the 2004 Athens Olympics.
In the boys 13-14 category Y Speedos' James Smith, Jason James and Shamori Todd are expected to be involved in fierce battles with Andrew Saunders and Timothy Wong of Tornadoes.
Young Emma Quintero, the top 11-12 girls swimmer from Delvines Azules, Speedos' Tiffany Walton, Tornadoes' Rene Wright and Blue Seals' Gillian Millwood will challenge for supremacy in that age group.
The Juniors are expected to have a strong group of 9-10 boys headed by the Speedos' trio of Ramon Walton, Donovan Todd and Jamin Steigerwald. They will face stiff challenge from Royal Swim Clubs' Bradley Burnett and Andre Chen-Young.
Y Speedos have won the meet every year, except 1999 when Tornadoes were crowned champions.
