North Georgetown dominates swimming, Corentyne tops cycling

58th annual National Schools Cycling, Swimming, Track and Field Championships
The National Schools Cycling, Swimming, and Track and Field Championships continued on Monday at two locations, where athletes from across the country competed in cycling and swimming events.

When the sun was set and the day’s activities completed, North Georgetown (District 11) and Corentyne (District 6) were the teams rejoicing, as they emerged victorious in the swimming and cycling events respectively.
At the National Aquatic Centre at Liliendaal, young swimmers donned swimsuits and goggles as they got into competition mode. This year’s rivalry was intense but, try as they may, the other 14 districts could not overcome the defending champions.
Little Aleka Persaud has been having an excellent year in the pool. She again dominated her opponents in the Girls 14 and Under category. Representing the East Georgetown district, Persaud copped gold in the 50M freestyle in 28.68s and in the 50 metre backstroke in 34.78s.
Raekwon Noel was also outstanding, with wins in the Boys 14 and Under 50 metre freestyle in 28.31s, and the 50 metre backstroke in 32.65s.
His swim mate Leon Seaton was another shining star in the pool. Representing District 11, Seaton copped wins in the Boys 16 and Under 50 metre freestyle in 25.61s; the 50 metre butterfly in 28.19s, and the 50M backstroke in 30.66s.

Longstanding contender Amy Grant also contributed well to District 11’s win. She took the Girls 18 and Under 50M freestyle in 30.85s, the 50m butterfly in 32.34s and the 100M freestyle in 1.10.05s.
For the overall defending champs, Upper Demerara/ Kwakwani, Nikita Fiedtkou swam circles around her opponents. She took the 100 metre freestyle in 1.04.92s, and the 50 metre freestyle in 29.72s.
In the highly anticipated relays, North Georgetown took wins in the Boys and Girls 200M freestyle to take their winning points to 434. They were followed by Upper Demerara/Kwakwani with 319 points, and third place was copped by East Georgetown with 213 points.
Over at the National Park, the youth riders mounted their bikes for countless laps around the park, which saw keen competition.
Corentyne’s win could mostly be attributed to Ajay Gopilall, David Hicks and Shabina Ramoo, who were outstanding throughout the day. They were joined by their other District 6 athletes, who all contributed significantly to ensuring that at the end of the day, the Berbicians would finish on top for a second consecutive year.
District 10, who trailed the winners by just 8 points, were led by Oneal Rose and Abigail Jeffrey, who were in fine form.

Rose won Gold in the 5000 metre Boys’ Open, 800 metres Boys’ Open, and the 1000 metre Boys’ Open races. Jeffrey won the Girls’ 25 kilometre road race on Sunday, added Gold to her name in the 3000 mere girls’ Open and 400 metre Girls’ Open, while finishing second in the 800 metre Girls’ Open.
The day’s action saw some thrilling encounters, especially in the 1500 metre events. First, Denzil Huntley (District 10) edged District 14’s Roy Wilson to cop Gold in the Boys’ Open event, while District 6’s Roy Wilson had to settle for Bronze.
On the distaff side of the 1500 metre open event, Maria Carrington (District 7) was the surprise package, as she convincingly beat Shabina Ramoo (District 6) to Gold, while District 10’s Crystal Hutson had to settle for Silver.
The National Schools Cycling, Swimming, Track and Field Championships will continue today as the athletes head to Region Three for the track and field events at the Leonora Stadium. Without a doubt the next four days will see the rise of many athletic stars, before the closing ceremony on Friday evening.