PNG, COOKS & SAMOA - 2015 World Swimming Championships

PNG Master & The Apprentice - Ryan Pini & Sam SeghersSwimming for the Cook IslandsSamoan 'Teammates'

credit The Reporters' Academy.

FINAL DAY OF COMPETITION FOR PACIFIC ISLANDS SEES MORE PERSONAL BESTS FOR FSM AND NORTHERN MARIANAS

Day 7 saw the Pacific island swimmers bring down the curtain on their World Championships with ten swimmers from seven countries competing in nine events. There was just time to collect a couple more personal bests and a chance to reflect on the successes and challenges of the week, whilst having an eye on future plans.

It’s been a good week for Debra Daniel at this week’s World Championships in Russia. Representing the Federated States of Micronesia. She got the Pacific islands off to flyer.

After the recent Pacific Games in Port Moresby, she was the proud holder of no fewer than eight national records in the pool. All of them gained in Papua New Guinea. Debra was eyeing another in her Heat of the 50m Freestyle in which her own national record was 31.30 seconds.

That was soon reduced to 30.48 seconds as she touched the wall first in her Heat. 

The 24 year old breathlessly reflected immediately after the race,

“ I’m both tired and feel awesome! I just got my head down and died in the pool. I think I’ve been swimming really well at this competition and I’m really happy with it, I was hoping to get 29 seconds, but oh well,” she said with a contented smile.

As she leaves Kazan, she’ll be carrying a national record as well as a personal best back with her.

It was a second Personal Best in as many days and swims for Northern Mariana’s Angel De Jesus. This time in the 50m Freestyle.

Her reaction time off the blocks was quick at 0.65 seconds increasing her chances of a good swim, and that is exactly how it turned out. She raced to a time of 30.57 beating her personal best time.

“It was difficult but I did well ... I cut 0.10 seconds off my ‘C’ time. I wanted to get 29 seconds, but updating my personal best is ok for me”, she remarked after the swim, which rounded off a successful World Championships for the Northern Marianas.

Marshall Islands’ national record holder Annie Hepler came into these championships in good form. Her time in the final of the recent Pacific Games gave her a national record in the 50m Freestyle. She followed this up with a strong time in the previous day’s 50m Butterfly here in Russia.

So the scene was set for another attempt on the national record in the 50m Freestyle as she lined up in the same Heat as three other Pacific island athletes from Oceania.

Annie was clearly determined to get the best possible start. Only five other swimmers in the event left the blocks quicker. Her reaction time was 0.63 seconds. It was one of the areas she had been focusing on in training,

“ I came into my swims knowing I had to work on my pull and my break outs were a little slow. So that was something that I was focused on this week prior to my races and I think it turned out for the best for me.”

After such a start, the swimmer from Majuro was well set for a positive time. She came home in 28.52 seconds, just 18 tenths outside her own national record and a mark that pleased Annie,

 “ It was a nice little drop from my ‘C’ time, so I’m happy with that swim.”

Here in Kazan, she flirted in both events with her personal bests and was reasonably satisfied with her work,

“ My two swims were pretty good. It was a bit nerve wracking as I had to wait so long to swim this week. I was training all week, but there’s also a lot of hanging around. I’d much rather have come and competed closer to the beginning of the championships but I think I kept up to things and my times proved that. I’m happy with both my results.”

The youngest swimmer from the Pacific islands competing at these championships was back in the pool on Day 7. Palau’s Roylin Akiwo lined up in the Women’s 50m Freestyle.

Roylin was ideally looking to break the 30 second mark in the Kazan Arena. So, it was a disappointed Roylin who left the pool having clocked 30.86 seconds.

“ I did ok, but I thought I could do better. I just tried to sprint all the way. Even though I felt pain, I just kept going.”

With time on her side, she is showing maturity in utilizing the experience gained from these championships to improve her performances at the top level,

“ I’m ok with my swims. As long as I came and did my best, which I did. I can go back and train and then come back again and do better.”

The final swimmer in action for the Cook Islands was Tracy Keith-Matchitt also in the 50m Freestyle.

Despite recent injury and illness she was looking to go one better than her 100m Freestyle here, where she finished just outside the top fifty in the world.

In an event which included seven Pacific island swimmers, Tracy was the fastest of these swimmers finishing third in her Heat with a time of 27.16 seconds. 60^th overall.

A smiling but disappointed Tracy gave her initial reaction,

“ I’ll wait until I meet with my coach to see where I went wrong.  Obviously, I didn’t go fast somewhere. It’s sort of where I have been over the last six months but I know I could have gone faster. “

She then moved on to explain what she’d taken personally from her competition in Russia,

“ In terms of my experience from these championships it’s been helpful to see how the swimmers at the top of my events warm up, prepare and race. For myself it’s about taking what I did in terms of results, looking at the statistics and working out what I need to do in training.”

Ryan Pini’s latest individual challenge for Papua New Guinea (PNG) was to navigate the Men’s 50m Backstroke. He touched the wall with a time of 26.11 seconds, just inside his time of 26.14 seconds from this year’s Pacific Games in his home nation.

His swim left him a very respectable 35^th in the World, and 0.82 seconds off a semi-final spot.

“I came into the meet with a few injuries and it was a mad rush to get myself ready for the competition...looking back all-in-all I’ve done very well to be able to pull through it”.

However, there is no plan for Pini to give up just yet and with the 2016 Olympics, in Rio, just under a year away, the focus turns to that.

“My main event is the 100m Butterfly which for me ‘A’ qualifying would be a 52.40 seconds, so I’d like to be able to do an A qualifier”. 

For the future of PNG swimming, there is hope, explains the three-time Olympic athlete.

“The World Champs is fantastic. It’s the biggest swimming competition in the world. It’s great how there’s so much space and, as a small country we can find our little spot. We’re looking good. We’ve got some strong swimmers and looking at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Australia which is really close to us, there’s a chance to have a really strong, solid team”.

The penultimate race of the championships for Barbara Vali-Skelton, was in the Women’s 50m Freestyle. She competed in this event at the 2014 Commonwealth Games, in Glasgow, and set a time of 28.62 seconds.

She narrowly missed out on that time, clocking a slightly slower 28.78 seconds.

Commenting on the race, the eighteen-year-old stated;

“ Time-wise it wasn’t very good but it was probably a season best for me. I was happy with my swim but a little bit disappointed,” and when asked about improvement she said: “My dive’s usually slow. Just my underwater work”.

For Vali-Skelton the highlight that stands out this week, are the people.

PNG were the team set to bring the curtain down on the championships for the Pacific islands. Event 37 the Mixed 4 x 100m Freestyle Relay.

Once again the team was made up of Ryan Pini, Tegan McCarthy, Barbara Vali-Skelton and Sam Seghers.

Ryan got the team off to a strong start completing the first 100m in 50.86 seconds, with PNG in third place. Tegan and Barbara then completed splits of 1 minute 06.06 seconds and 1 minute 4.02 seconds respectively, before handing over to Sam.

He completed the final 100m in 50.9 seconds.

Sadly, he had broken early on the final change and the team were disqualified, which brought a disappointing end to their hopes of a national record.

There was a mix of understandable disappointment and team pride in the Press Area afterwards.

Ryan was first to assess the race and his week,

“ It was a bit of a disappointing finish, but I guess that’s what happens from time to time. The good part about it was that we were all together for that final swim. It’s been a good week. Over the last three months I’ve come through a lot, surgery, a couple of other injuries, I’ve got an eight week old and a major competition in the Pacific Games in between. For all of us to come here and swim as well as we have, I think is pretty good.”

A rueful smile came over Sam’s face as he tried hard to reflect on a successful personal week through the immediate disappointment,

 “ I’m disappointed with breaking and disqualifying the team. I feel bad for letting down the team. …but it’s been amazing week, an amazing experience”

Barbara was also disappointed but mindful of her efforts,

“ I’ve had a good week. The Pacific Games wasn’t too long ago so I’ve been happy. Not my best, not my worst.”

Tegan could also draw some wider positives,

“ Again, it was a really good experience coming to the Worlds and even though the relay didn’t go how we wanted it to, I’m happy that we finished the competition as a team.”

Irene Prescott’s final swim for Tonga in Kazan, came in the Women’s 50m Freestyle too. She had previously competed in the same event two years ago in the same competition in Barcelona. There she finished the race with a time of 28.19 before heading to the 2014 Commonwealth Games, in Glasgow, and setting a time of 28.77.

In the Kazan Arena, she was only able to beat the latter of these times with 28.74 seconds. However, Prescott was still satisfied; 

“It was alright. It was my last race so I felt pretty good... I think my start was good”.

It terms of improvement, the young swimmer picked out a couple of areas;

“Definitely the pull of the water and putting everything together.

The concluding comment from the twenty-one year-old Tongan was complimentary about the championships.

“The Worlds is always a special time. It’s especially great to see all the World Records being broken”.

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This article was produced by Mike Marron of The Reporters' Academy, a media production company run by young people, tasked with the mission of telling the stories of Oceania's swimmers at the World Championships in Kazan. The Reporters' Academy is integrated into the world of media, education and employment, dedicated to changing the lives of young people across Oceania and the UK.

SATISFACTORY FINISH FOR PRESCOTT

Irene Prescott’s final swim at the 16^th FINA World Championships, in Kazan, came in the Women’s 50m Freestyle. She had previously competed in the same event two years ago in the same competition in Barcelona. There she finished the race with a time of 28.19 before heading to the 2014 Commonwealth Games, in Glasgow, and setting a time of 28.77.

In the Kazan Arena, she was only able to beat the latter of these times with 28.74 seconds. However, Prescott was still satisfied; 

“It was alright. It was my last race so I felt pretty good... I think my start was good”.

It terms of improvement, the young swimmer picked out a couple of areas;

“Definitely the pull of the water and putting everything together.

The concluding comment from the twenty-one year-old Tongan was complimentary about the championships.

“The Worlds is always a special time. It’s especially great to see all the World Records being broken”.

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This article was produced by Mike Marron of The Reporters' Academy, a media production company run by young people, tasked with the mission of telling the stories of Oceania's swimmers at the World Championships in Kazan. The Reporters' Academy is integrated into the world of media, education and employment, dedicated to changing the lives of young people across Oceania and the UK.

NORTHERN MARIANAS AND PALAU REAP REWARDS ON DAY 6 OF WORLDS

Day 6 was the busiest day yet with no fewer than sixteen Pacific island swimmers hunting out personal bests and national records for their nine respective countries. Once again, a lot of the swimmers can point to successes gained on the world stage, including national records and personal bests, as their thoughts and training plans begin to turn toward qualification for the 2016 Olympic games in Rio. It was also the fastest day as the Men’s 50 m freestyle got under way.

Sometimes the best is saved until last. Last in the pool on Day 6 for the Pacific islands of Oceania was Victoria Chentsova of the Northern Marianas. She was taking part in the longest distance of the week, the 800m Freestyle.

Victoria claimed her second personal best and national record of these championships when finishing in 9 minutes 48.87 seconds. Nearly 11 seconds inside the previous best.

A delighted Victoria said,

“ I’m so happy, I didn’t do as well as I hoped, I was aiming for 9 minutes 44 seconds but I beat my time so I’m so happy and relieved. I was just trying not to die. I’m always going out too slow and coming back way faster, so I’m always negative splitting. So this time I wanted to go out a little faster so that I wasn’t sprinting near the end. I just gave it my all.”

Born in Saipan, the sport loving 17 year old had extra reason to savour the moment as well as her two records,

“ It’s been a really special experience for me because I’m going to college next month and so I’ll be leaving the Northern Marianas but hopefully I’ll still be able to swim for them. So this is the last time for a while that I’ll be representing them as a swimmer who has been training there. Also, I’m in my home country as my parents are Russian, so for me there has been all kinds of emotion. It’s been super exciting and definitely an unforgettable experience.”

A mammoth field of 113 swimmers opened Day 6 in the Kazan Arena. Takumi Sugie of the Northern Marianas was one of seven Pacific islanders in the Heats of the 50m Freestyle, the fastest race in the pool.

A holder of three national records, the unassuming young swimmer was aiming to lower one of those records in this discipline after clocking 27.59 seconds at the recent Pacific Games in Port Moresby.

He was not be disappointed as he hit the wall at 27.26 seconds, clipping a third of a second off his own record whilst finishing second in the Heat.

A breathless Takumi explained how he had approached the race,

“ I gave it all I could today, so I’m really happy with that – a personal best. Just going forward was the only thing I thought of after I dived in.”

Day 6 eventually brought the first race, in the 50m Butterfly, for Angel De Jesus, of the Northern Mariana Islands. Her start was quick, with a reaction time of 0.64 seconds which was 8^thquickest out of all 64 participants. Her strong swim continued and she finished a respectable third in her heat with a time of 33.86 seconds; better than her previous best of 34.99 seconds.

It was a very happy Dirngulbai Misech of Palau who entered the Mixed Zone after her 50m Butterfly Heat.

These World Championships have now borne two personal best times for the 17 year old. She finished the one length sprint in 31.70 seconds

“ I’m so happy I finally broke the 32 second mark. Right after my first swim (this week) we’ve been working more on my technique for my stroke and we did a stroke analysis and that really helped me with my overall stroke. I’ve been really focusing on this race as it’s one of my favourite races”

Among the first to hit the water was Palau’s Shawn Dingilius Wallace. Competing in the Men’s 50m Freestyle, with six other Pacific Islanders, he started in heat two with Northern Mariana’s Takumi Sugie.

After previously achieving a personal best, on Day 4, in the Men’s 100m Freestyle, Dingilius Wallace was intent on ending the week on a high.

With this in mind, the 21-year-old was focused on the task in-hand, and with a quicker reaction time than earlier in the week, he seemed determined to give his all from the start.

The finish saw him touch the wall first and set a time of 27.02 seconds.

“That was awesome. That was my new national record right there”, he beamed. The sense of pride and joy was evident.

 “I had a great swim and I ended up seeing myself on the big screen so I had a good day today”, he laughed. “Today is my highlight”.

When asked how it all went to plan he replied: “I executed what I needed to do...I went out and brought it home...If I hadn’t taken a fourth breath I probably would’ve got a 26.90 (seconds) or something like that..but I’m still pretty happy with what I got”.

The Championships will be one to remember for Shawn, with an impressive two personal bests and a national record.

Day 6 brought high hopes for Papua New Guinea’s Sam Seghers. Having set a personal best only two days prior in the Men’s 100m Freestyle, the young athlete’s focus turned to the shorter, Men’s 50m Freestyle.

He clocked a time of 23.46 seconds, beating his Pacific Games time of 23.78 seconds and setting a new personal best at the same time. His time was 0.68 seconds off team-mate Ryan Pini’s National Record time, something he has the belief to beat; “It’s definitely the aim, I’ll get there eventually”.

On the swim itself, the PNG swimmer admitted he was happy but felt he could do better. “It’s a tiny PB I was hoping for faster”

“I took a breath at the wrong side...but that’s all part of racing. You learn something new every day”.

However, he did take positives from it.  “I think my start and my finish went really well which is something I’ve been working on... especially my dive”.

Another PNG swimmer, Tegan McCarthy, was a picture of concentration as she waited for the start. In Heat Two, the Women’s 50 Butterfly.

Her start was good. A reaction time of 0.69 seconds was as fast as the quickest swimmer in the heats, Sarah Sjoestroem, the World Record Holder of Sweden.

“At the start I felt good but at the end I lost it a little bit”.

Her eventual time came in at 30.27 seconds, marginally off her personal best.

“It was just off my PB so it wasn’t as I hoped it would be, but it was alright”, she mused. In terms of improvement she identified; “holding my stroke for the 50 (m) and pushing harder”.

After previously competing in the Mixed Medley Relay and the 50m Butterfly, it was now time for Ryan Pini of Papua New Guinea to compete in its longer version, the 100m.

Catching up with him in the Mixed Zone he provided his thoughts on his swim,

“It was good, up there with  what I’d done this year”, he said after receiving a time of 53.02. “I think I executed it pretty well”.

He highlighted his area of improvement as fitness.

“For me (an improvement) it’ll be fitness. The last two and a half months have been really challenging. I had my appendix removed and a fairly bad back injury and all considering I’ve done really well”. Having finished 30^th out of 73, “very well” was a more than fair assessment from the inspirational swimmer.

It’s never easy to wait all week whilst your team compete, before you get the chance to test yourself in the pool. Annie Hepler, Marshall Island’s Olympian has had to remain focused until her appearance on Day 6 of these championships.

In Annie’s view the wait has been helped by FINA’s introduction of an Athletes’ Village in Kazan.

“ I came here thinking we were going to stay in a hotel like all the other World Championships. Then we’re in the Athletes’ Village which I think is pretty cool. As a result, I’ve met a lot of new people and Russia has done a good job with this, it’s pretty fun.”

Her preparation paid off with a pleasing swim, posting a time of 30.02 seconds in the Women’s 50m Butterfly, just 0.07 seconds outside the time she clocked at the recent Pacific Games. She finished third in her Heat and came out top in the competition between the five Pacific island women entered in this event. The 19 year old swims under the guidance of coach Amy LaCost and was pleased with her performance,

“ It was really good, my goal was to hit around 30 seconds, around my PB so I’m really happy with that swim. I’ve been waiting for a long time to swim this week. It was good, I kept training hard all week and was prepared. I’m pleased with the results.”

Following on from a personal best time in the 100m Freestyle earlier in this competition, Giordan Harris was hoping for another success story for the Marshall Islands on Day 6. It was the turn of the 50m discipline for him. The 22 year old, who took up swimming in the 3^rd grade thanks to a friend encouraging him, was targeting a mark below 26 seconds to gain a personal best (PB).

It was agonizingly close, with Giordan touching in 26.18 seconds. However, he was reasonably happy in the Mixed Zone afterwards,

“ A little bit off my best I swam in Papua New Guinea (where he set his PB). I’m right there, so not too bad. Swimming wise, this week has been pretty good. I dropped my time in the 100m Freestyle which is always pretty good and there was only 0.1seconds between my best here and the Pacific Games in the 50m, which means I’m dead on.”

The Kazan Arena played host to a second performance from Meli Malani of Fiji, in the Men’s 50m Freestyle.

The race itself saw the Fijian compete with six other Pacific Island athletes, and post a time of 23.78 seconds. The time put him second amongst the athletes from the Pacific Islands, however he wasn’t satisfied with his performance.

“It was a bit disappointing. I didn’t manage to PB...it was slightly off...I left the block with a strong start but then towards the end ...I didn’t do as well”

Overall, “I enjoyed my 100m Freestyle...It’s tough, there are so many world class athletes. People like us struggle to make it to the semis but hopefully in the next World Championships as long as we keep working hard on our focus and our goals, we might just be there in the next one”.

Ever cheerful Jagger Stephens of Guam came into Day 6 of these championships on the back of a national record gained in the 100m Freestyle.

Jagger, like all the other swimmers, is aware of the endless hours, commitment and time required to compete at this level. Even then the difference in times can be minuscule after all the hard work.  This was one such occasion.

“ It’s one of those things where it’s so quick and you push yourself so hard that it’s hard to tell what you may have done wrong with your technique. Although I definitely felt that I couldn’t push my body to the limit.”

This was his reaction immediately after his performance in the 50m Freestyle in posting a time of 23.84 which was only 0.09 seconds shy of a personal best.

“ Personally, I think my performances in the pool have been ok. It’s been an awesome experience, I love all the people here and the competition is insane and I was able to get my best time for my 100m Freestyle, so I can’t complain.”

Winter Heaven rounded up Samoa’s programme for the championships in Kazan.

Winter broke the national record in the 100m Freestyle earlier this week and mentioned at the time, that whilst he was looking forward to the 100m Butterfly he was working on a few things technically to produce his best performance possible.

In his Heat, Winter turned at 50m in 26.54 seconds and completed the 100m in 57.47 seconds. Just six hundredths of a second from breaking 

his national record which he set at the 2014 Oceania Championships in New Zealand.

Being so close, but yet so far, was the initial frustrated reaction as he reflected on the last minute in the pool.

“ I’ll have to go back and have a look at the splits and the replay to see what I can work on. It was not what I was hoping for but I can’t complain. I went fairly close. It’s definitely a stepping stone. It’s good to have the performances under my belt and to move forward and to see how I handle such a big stage and gather experience.”

Ifa Paea’s second race for Tonga at these championships came in the Men’s 100m Butterfly. His Commonwealth Games performance earned him a time of 55.62 seconds setting a new Personal Best (P.B.) and National Record.

His finishing time on Day 6 was just outside that mark in a time of 55.80 seconds.

“ I really thought I could go under 55 seconds. I felt really, really comfortable but I thought I could go faster. I’m not too disappointed. It’s only the second time I’ve done a 55 (seconds).

His time ranked him in 52^nd place in these World Championships and with the Olympics now in sight, he is aware of what he has to do; “Make the qualifying time for Rio which is 54.19 seconds.”

At just twenty-one years of age it is an incredible achievement to compete in one World Championship, but to compete in two is a sign of hard work and commitment. This is the case for Tonga’s Irene Prescott who competed two years ago in Barcelona and is now attending the Kazan version of the FINA swim meet.

She started swimming aged eleven and cites her first World Championships, in 2013, as her most memorable event. It was here she set the time of 30.97 seconds.

After achieving a time of 31.90 seconds in the 50m Butterfly, she commented that;

“It was alright I thought I could go a little bit faster but it’s my first race. I think my start was good but I lost the catch of the water at the end but it was alright”.

Dionisio Augustine of the Federated States of Micronesia was determined to overcome his 50m Breaststroke disappointment earlier this week, in his final race at these championships.

The 23 year old placed 15^th at the Pacific Games in a time of 27.10 seconds and was hoping to get near that mark in Heat 3 of the 50m Freestyle. Dionisio, came home in 26.92 seconds, a little outside his personal best of 26.75 seconds. 

“ That was ok, just outside my personal best. I’ve had a good week.”

Dionisio has now completed his racing for this week and having competed at a number of major championships in recent years including the World Short Course Championships at Doha, then this experience will stand him well, despite his initial disappointment of missing out on another personal best.

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This article was produced by Mike Marron of The Reporters' Academy, a media production company run by young people, tasked with the mission of telling the stories of Oceania's swimmers at the World Championships in Kazan. The Reporters' Academy is integrated into the world of media, education and employment, dedicated to changing the lives of young people across Oceania and the UK.

PAEA AND PRESCOTT PUT IN SOLID PERFORMANCES

Ifa Paea’s second race of these championships came in the Men’s 100m Butterfly. His first race saw him collect a personal best in the 100m Freestyle.  He competed in the 100m Butterfly competition two years ago in Barcelona, where he recorded a time of 56.32 seconds. He was determined to beat this time and his efforts prevailed in Glasgow, a year later. His Commonwealth Games performance earned him a time of 55.62 seconds setting a new Personal Best (P.B.) and National Record.

His finishing time on Day 6 was just outside that mark in a time of 55.80 seconds.

“ I really thought I could go under 55 seconds. I felt really, really comfortable but I thought I could go faster. I’m not too disappointed. It’s only the second time I’ve done a 55 (seconds).

His time ranked him in 52^nd place in these World Championships and with the Olympics now in sight, he is aware of what he has to do; “Make the qualifying time for Rio which is 54.19 seconds.”

At just twenty-one years of age it is an incredible achievement to compete in one World Championship, but to compete in two is a sign of hard work and commitment. This is the case for Tonga’s Irene Prescott who competed two years ago in Barcelona and is now attending the Kazan version of the FINA swim meet.

She started swimming aged eleven and cites her first World Championships, in 2013, as her most memorable event. It was here she set the time of 30.97 seconds.

The 50m Butterfly was her first event, in the Kazan Arena, and being on Day 6 of the event, the Tongan admitted that: “I’ve been waiting for this event for a long time”.

 The race itself contained four other Pacific Islanders, with three of them joining her in Heat Two. After achieving a time of 31.90 seconds, she commented that;

“It was alright I thought I could go a little bit faster but it’s my first race. I think my start was good but I lost the catch of the water at the end but it was alright”.

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This article was produced by Mike Marron of The Reporters' Academy, a media production company run by young people, tasked with the mission of telling the stories of Oceania's swimmers at the World Championships in Kazan. The Reporters' Academy is integrated into the world of media, education and employment, dedicated to changing the lives of young people across Oceania and the UK.