Raekwon Noel displaying the Golden Arrowhead and his spoils from the CARIFTA Swimming Championships
Having claimed a whopping five gold medals at the recently concluded CARIFTA Aquatic Championships in Curacao over the weekend, teenage swimming sensation Raekwon Noel is still coming to terms with his success.
The young man has copped first place in the 15-17 1500m Freestyle, 400m Individual Medley, 800 Freestyle, 200m Butterfly and 400M freestyle. He describes the feat as a ‘crazy’ experience.
“It has not sunk in as yet, because we’re actually still here in Curacao and nothing has sunk in as yet. I’m really excited to see what’s going to happen moving forward, and probably when I go back to the US and I actually settle in and I remember and I look on this past meet, it’ll probably sink in,” Noel shared. The swimmer added, “It’s a crazy experience for me, and I’m really grateful.”
When probed about any doubts he might have had prior to his outstanding performance, Noel related that the 200M butterfly was the only race he wasn’t confident about. The swimmer divulged, “There was some doubt in the 2-fly, I didn’t actually think I was going to medal in that event because I think I was seeded 4th or 5th, which is not a bad standing, but it’s still regarding the times and how close they were. I just thought I would never medal, and I got first in that event.
“So, it was really surprising for me. That’s the only one I had doubt in, everything else I was pretty confident in winning,” he added.
Noel, who will now return to the USA to continue perfecting his craft, also touched on one piece of advice he is taking away from the CARIFTA Championships.
“It’s definitely not underestimate anyone; you have a lane, you have a chance. So, that was what I took away from this meet, and that’s what I’m looking forward to doing in the future, and I’m making sure to always keep my guard up at all times,” Noel explained.
Aside from the gold medals, Noel bettered national records in four of his five races over the weekend.
