Top Trinidad and Tobago junior Dylan Carter produced the swim of the meet, smashing a Carifta and national age group record in the Boys 15-17 200m freestyle on day two of the 28th Carifta Swimming and Water Polo Championships Sunday.
At the National Stadium Pool in Kingston, Jamaica, his teammate Joshua Romany also set a Carifta record in the Boys 15-17 50m butterfly and the two combined with Jabari Baptiste and Jonathan Ramkissoon to establish a new Carifta Boys 15-17 4 x 100m medley relay mark.
But despite another strong night for T&T in which they won 12 more medals including nine gold, two silver and one bronze, they conceded the overall points lead to Guadeloupe.
The Guadeloupeans, with strength in depth, now lead the points standings 368 to T&T’s 359, with hosts Jamaica (328), Aruba (323) and Bahamas (265) rounding out the top five.
T&T lead the overall medal count (24—13 gold, five silver, six bronze) followed by Aruba (24—10 gold, nine silver, five bronze) and Jamaica (23—nine gold, five silver, nine bronze).
But the highlight swim of the meet to date is Carter’s 200m free effort for its sheer speed, dominance and the margin by which he broke the record.
Romany, who previously held both the Carifta and national 200 free mark at 1:52.46 from last year’s meet in the Bahamas, could only watch on in the stands after his miscalculated prelim swim left him ninth, one spot short of the final.
Sunday night, after four speedy laps, Carter registered a 1:50.35 effort in what turned out to be a time trial a la cycling. The second placed Jordy Groters of Aruba was a distant second in 1:59.14, with Cayman Islands’ Geoffrey Butler securing the bronze in 1:59.47.
Carter meant business from the start, opening up a three body-length lead at the half-way mark, clocking 53.65 seconds at the foot touch. Trying to keep pace but floundering in his slipstream was Jamaica’s Sidrell Williams, who finished fourth in 1:59.85. He was more than four seconds adrift at 100m. Carter then increased his stroke rate, surging even further on the third lap before the Davie Nadadores swimmer upped the tempo with his arms and legs even more for a 56.70-second final 100m and an overall record-breaking 1:50.35.
Carter celebrated by repeatedly splashing the water before holding both his arms overhead in a Y position.
Speaking to TVJ Sports following the race, Carter said: “I knew what I had to do and I was very happy to go out and execute it on every lap.”
Carter started a string of seven consecutive gold medals for T&T.
Seemingly inspired by the great swim, six of his teammates followed with winning performances, all in the 50m butterfly events.
Jada Chai splashed to 31.13 seconds or the win in the Girls 11-12 category, while Kael Yorke won a nail-biter, stopping the clock in 28.64 for the win the Boys 11-12 ahead of Martinique’s Yannis Lerider (28.70). Amira Pilgrim (29.96) led from start to finish in the Girls 13-14 edition, while Adrian Goin sped to a 26.35 victory in the Boys 13-14.
USA-based Tyla Martin swam out of her skin to post a 29.05 winning time in the Girls 15-17 before Romany’s 25.06 record swim in the Boys 15-17. Romany bettered Vereance Burrows’ 25.16, 2007 mark.
Ariel Cape earned T&T’s eighth gold medal on the night in the Girls 13-14 100m backstroke when she turned back the challenge of home favourite Angara Sinclair (1:10.44 to1:10.81).
And Carter led off the Boys 15-17 record breaking 4 x 100m medley relay swim as they posted a 3:56.33 time, bettering last year’s 3:57.83 standard. Carter and Romany combined with Emiro Goossen and Ross Phillips. Carter’s 58.40 opening leg was faster than the winning time for the individual event won by Jamaica’s Timothy Wynter (58.70). T&T’s Jabari Baptiste grabbed silver in 1:00.19 in that event in which Carter was disqualified after the prelims for a turning infraction.
This country’s second silver came thanks to the Girls 15-17 4 x 100m medley relay team of Martin, Alexandra Donahue, Syriah David and Rebecca Marshall who were narrowly edged out by Jamaica (4:30.65 to 4:30.84).
And the Girls 11-12 4 x 100m medley squad of Hannah Chatfield, Vrisnelit Faure, Jada Chai and Marissa Dickson grabbed this country’s only bronze on the night in a time of 5:04.02.