Bermuda Swimmers Win Nine Medals, Set Records

[Updated with photos] Bermuda’s swimmers claimed nine medals — and two records — during the first day of the Caribbean Island Swimming Championships [CISC] in Aruba yesterday [June 23].

Jesse Washington — the 12-year-old who won seven medals in the recent Carifta Games — is leading the medal count with three medals so far, two of them being gold.

Jesse Washington in action in Aruba:

Both Washington’s gold medals came in record setting style, with the Sandys Middle School student setting two new CISC records.

In the 100m freestyle he broke a record set by a Puerto Rican swimmer in 2008, and in the 50 butterfly he broke a record set by a swimmer from Suriname in 2004. Washington [pictured] was the only swimmer — from any country — to have broken two records during the first day.

Lisa.Blackburn also won a gold medal, with her time of 5:11.83 crushing the National record of 5:26.63 set in 1990 by Jenny Smatt.

Carifta medalist Shannon Hassell picked up silver, as did Ashley Yearwood, and did Roy-Allan Burch — who has qualfied for the 2012 Olympics. Rebecca Heyliger and Julian Fletcher took Bermuda’s medal count up to nine, with their bronze medal winning performances.

Julian Fletcher on the podium:

Jesse Washington won Bermuda’s first gold medal of the Championships winning the 11-12 Boys 100 Long Course Meter Freestyle with a time of 56.36. Washington then won the 11-12 Boys 50 Long Course Meter Butterfly gold medal when he touched the wall in a winning time of 27.86. Lisa Blackburn won the 18 and Over Girls 400 Long Course Meter IM gold medal when she finished first in a time of 5:11.83.

Shannon Hassell won Bermuda’s first silver medal when she finished second in the 11-12 Girls 100 Long Course Meter Backstroke final clocking 1:12.34, Washington won Bermuda’s second silver medal when he was clocked at the wall in a time of 1:09.99 finished second in the 11-12 Boys 100 Long Course Meter Backstroke final.

Roy-Allan Burch captured Bermuda’s third silver medal on Day One when he finished second in the 18 and Over Boys 100 Long Course Meter Freestyle final clocking a time of 52.45. Ashley Yearwood picked up a silver medal in the 15-17 Girls 50 Long Course Meter Butterfly final with a time of 29.42 touching the wall in second place.

Rebecca Heyliger won a bronze medal in the 18 and Over Girls 50 Long Course Meter Butterfly final with a time of 29.63, and Julian Fletcher won the bronze medal in the 18 and Over Boys 400 Long Course Meter IM with a time of 4:59.35.

Nicholas Patterson finished 5th in the 15-17 Boy’s 400 Long Course Meter IM clocking a time of 5:17.79. Philip Hagen finished 8th in the 13-14 Boys 200 Long Course Meter Freestyle with a time of 2:09.62. Ashley Yearwood finished 5th in the 15-17 Girls 100 Long Course Meter Freestyle final clocking a time of 1:00.00.

Lisa Blackburn:

Heyliger finished 4th in the 18 and Over Girls 100 Long Course Meter Freestyle final with a time of 1:01.39. Burch finished fourth in the 18 and Over Boys 50 Long Course Meter Butterfly final with a time of 25.60.

In the morning session, Shannon Hassell missed out on a place in the 11-12 Girls 100 Long Course Meter Freestyle final, when she recorded the ninth fastest time in the preliminaries clocking 1:05.94. Hassell finished 14th in the 11-12 Girls 50 Long Course Meter Butterfly with a time of 37.54.

Hassell did advance to the 11-12 Girls 100 Long Course Meter Backstroke final with the second fastest time of 1:13.66.

Ashley Yearwood advanced to the 15-17 Girls 100 Long Course Meter Freestyle final with a time of 1:00.82 which saw her finish 4th. Yearwood also finished with the 4th fastest qualifying time in the 15-17 Girls 50 Long Course Meter Butterfly clocking 30.52.

Jesse Washington recorded the fastest 11-12 Boys 100 Long Course Meter Freestyle preliminary time of 57.64, Washington also advanced to the Finals of the 11-12 Boys 100 Long Course Meter Backstroke clocking 1:12.30. Washington’s time of 29.21 was the fastest qualifying time in the 11-12 Boys 50 Long Course Meter Butterfly.

Roy Allan Burch:

Phillip Hagen advanced to the 13-14 Boys 200 Long Course Meter Freestyle Final with a time of 2:08.81. Hagen finished 16th in the 13-14 Boys 50 Long Course Meter Butterfly with a time of 30.11.

Nicholas Patterson finished 10th in the 15-17 Boys 50 Long Course Meter Butterfly with a time of 27.12, while Roy-Allan Burch advance to the in the 18 and Over Boys 100 Long Course Meter Freestyle Final with the fourth fastest time in the preliminaries clocking 54.33, Julian Fetcher just missed out on a spot in the Final when he recorded the ninth fastest time clocking 55.88.

Burch advanced to the 18 and Over Boys 100 Long Course Meter Butterfly Final with the third fastest preliminary time of 25.69, with Fletcher finishing 12th clocking 27.64.

- Photos courtesy of Doug Patterson

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