The 26th Rodney Heights Aquatic Centre Invitational Swimming Competition was held April 9 to 12, bringing together 31 clubs from across the Caribbean in a highly competitive showcase of aquatic talent.
Black Sands Swim Squad (BSSS) took a team of 13 swimmers and delivered an impressive performance, finishing 8th overall among the participating clubs.
All 13 BSSS swimmers competed across multiple age groups:
Girls 8 & Under: Sarai Williams, Janai George
Boys 8 & Under: Clarence Drakes
Girls 9–10: Clarice Drakes, Azalea Cox
Boys 9–10: Methuselah McLean, Anthony George
Girls 11–12: Amelia Des Vignes
Boys 11–12: Jonathan George
Boys 13–14: Kione Deshong
Boys 15–17: Seth Byron
Girls 18 & Over: Daliana Guanipa
Boys 18 & Over: Kyle Dougan
Williams delivered an outstanding performance in the Girls 8 & Under category, breaking the meet record in the 50m backstroke with a time of 44.58 seconds in her opening race.
She went on to secure 2 gold and 3 silver medals, earning 2nd place overall in her age group and narrowly missing out on the sprint challenge title.
Deshong dominated the Boys 13–14 category, setting three new meet records in the breaststroke events:
50m Breaststroke: 31.75
100m Breaststroke: 1:09.32
200m Breaststroke: 2:30.20
His 200m breaststroke performance also established a new St. Vincent and the Grenadines national record, surpassing the previous record of 2:33.14 set by Alex Joachim.
Deshong concluded the meet with a medal tally of 5 gold, 2 silver, and 2 bronze medals, securing the age group championship title.
In the Boys 15–17 age group category, Byron showcased consistency and determination, earning 2 gold, 3 silver, and 5 bronze medals to secure multiple podium finishes.
Dougan competed in the Boys 18 & Over category, capturing 3 bronze medals in a strong showing against senior competitors.
In the relay, Jonathan George won a bronze medal in the boys 15 and over age category.
The team was led by Head Coach Kathleen Bute, with Desmond Cox serving as team manager.
The club expressed satisfaction with the overall performances of its swimmers and extended congratulations to fellow St. Vincent and the Grenadines teams, Blue Marlins and H2O Lions, for their participation and achievements at the meet.
