Jamaica set sights on strong showing at Goodwill Games
Swimming Championships starts today in St Lucia
Published:Friday | August 16, 2024 | 12:08 AMOrane Buchanan/Staff Reporter
EXPECTATIONS are high for Jamaica’s 35-member team which arrived in St Lucia yesterday for today’s start of the Goodwill Swimming Championships.
Vice president of the Aquatic Sports Association of Jamaica, Hilary Brown Nixon, stated that while there are a few debutants on the team, the entire squad is filled with excitement ahead of the championships.
“They are very excited. We have some new members on the team who’ve never represented the country before, particularly in the eight and under category, but they’re very much excited,” she stated.
At last year’s staging which was held on local soil, Jamaica managed to capture a total of 80 medals. However, despite heading into these championships with fewer members and not being able to field three relay teams, Brown Nixon believes Jamaica should be equally competitive and still be around the 80-medal mark again this year.
“I think we’ll do just about the same. Last year in Jamaica we had home court advantage and a full complement of 40 swimmers. This year we have 35 swimmers and we aren’t able to field some of the relay teams, including the 15-17 boys and girls’ category along with the 9-10 girls’ team. While we aren’t able to field three relay teams we can probably expect the same medal haul as last year,” she added.
CHAMPIONSHIPS
Brown Nixon suggested that based on how preparation went, members of the team are more than prepared to make their names known in St Lucia. The planning phase went according to plan and they were no hiccups leading up the championships, she stated.
“No, they weren’t any (setbacks). I think the parents were as enthusiastic as the swimmers and they came out for their training sessions in very reliable fashion. One of the great things about the Goodwill Games is that it fosters camaraderie and relationships between the various Caribbean regions that participate. The preparations were excellent and there were no hiccups,” Brown Nixon said.
Brown Nixon added that the Goodwill Games are nothing short of competitive and she’s expecting the same this time around.
“The Goodwill Games are quite competitive. Last year we saw some excellent performances and some of those kids were swimming times that were faster than in the Carifta and Central American and Caribbean Swimming Federation meet. Therefore, it’s very competitive because a lot of countries use the games as a stepping stone towards the Carifta Games,” she concluded.