MoBay swimmers earn spots on Jamaica’s Carifta team

THE CARIFTA Swimming and Open Water Championships, scheduled for April 16-19 at the Barbados Aquatic Centre, will feature four swimmers from western Jamaica.

This after the Aquatic Swimming Association of Jamaica (ASAJ), last Wednesday, ratified a team of 34, including 15-year-old Leanna Wainwright of Montego Bay High School, 13-year-old Leah Chin from Mount Alvernia High School, 14-year-old Benjamin Davis and 12-year-old Talon Longmore, both from Cornwall College. The 2020 and 2021 editions were cancelled because of the threat of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Wainwright is making a Carifta team for the third time, with her last performance in 2019 including two gold medals, one in the 100-metre backstroke and the other over twice the distance. She also copped a bronze medal in the 50-metre backstroke, competing in the 11–12-year-old category.

The Montego Bay High standout also finished fifth in the 200-metre individual medley and earned a gold medal as part of the island’s 400-metre medley relay team, which set a new National and Carifta Championship record. The heavy 2019 schedule also included a silver medal in the 4x50-metre freestyle relay and a fourth-place finish in the 4x100-metre freestyle relay.

ELATED AND EXCITED

First-timers Chin, Davis and Longmore are elated and excited for the opportunity to represent the West and Jamaica during the upcoming championships.

Despite the absence of a proper swimming pool in the western region, swimmers from the Second City continue to exceed expectations.

Cuba-born head coach, Adolfo Morales, expressed satisfaction with the west’s involvement and congratulated the swimmers for their hard work and dedication, especially considering the challenges they face in Montego Bay.

“To be able to represent Jamaica at an international level is a great honour and accomplishment and they should be very proud,” said Morales.

“The potential in Montego Bay is greater than what people think,” he made sure to point out.

Morales hopes that this accomplishment is just the beginning and looks forward to getting more and more swimmers from the west on future national teams.

The swimmers, who currently balance their training between the beach and undersized pools when availability permits, continue to express gratitude for the continued support of Doctor’s Cave Beach Club and the Sea Garden Resort.

The swimmers compete as Unattached MoBay and continue to wait on confirmation and ratification from ASAJ to establish their very own swim club.