North Georgetown retain title at MOE & GTU Nat Schools’ Swimming C/Ships

Nov 27, 2018 Sports

Like they last year, North Georgetown (District 11), led by their top two swimmers; 17-year-old Amy Grant and 14-year-old Leon Seaton, dominated

North GT (district 11) successfully defending Swimming title yesterday (Sean Devers photo)

the Swimming Championships at the National Aquatic Centre on the East Coast as the opening day of the five-day Ministry of Education (MOM) & the Guyana Teachers’ Union (GTU) National Schools Championships commenced yesterday with Cycling and Swimming.
The Swimming Championships started with an introduction by Neville Bourne before a ‘Universal’ prayer was done by Melanie Frank, while after the National Pledge was recited Welcome remarks was done by Owen Pollard; ACEO Primary.
GTU’s Collis Nicholson gave brief remarks, Officials’ Oath was done by Edgar Sandy, the Athletes’ Oath was done by the talented Seaton before the meet was declared open by GASA’s President Ivan Persaud.

12 year-old Aleka Persaud and 14-year-old Leon Seaton were the best competitors at yesterday’s Nat Schools’ Swimming Championships yesterday.

North G/Town amassed 358 points as their swimmers won Medals in 42 of the 52 events before taking both the Boys and Girls 200M freestyle Relays.
The good size turn out included Singer and father of 50M Girls U-18 Freestyle Champion Amy Grant and her illustrious uncle England-based Eddy, who invented Ring Bang and became famous for hits like Electric Avenue, I Don’t Wanna Dance, Walking on Sunshine and maybe the most impacting of them all ‘Gimme Hope Jo’anna’ as South Africa fought apartheid.

Amy Grant is the first to hit the water in her U-18 50M freestyle win in a time of 30.85.

There was noticeable improvement from previous years as an electronic scoreboard was used and two additional Tents were erected to combat the sweltering heat which turned to light showers as the Champions progressed.
Grant won the 50M Girls U-18 freestyle in a time of 30.85 before taking the 50M, U-18 Butterfly in 32.34 and the U-18, 100M in 1:10.05 and ending a successful day in the pool by anchoring North Georgetown’s relay team to victory as the curtains came down on a Championship which showed vast improvements in and out of the pool from last year’s event.
Seaton won the Boys U-16, 50m freestyle in 25.61, the Boys U-16, 50M Butterfly in 28.19, Boy U-16, 50m Backstroke in 30.66 before anchoring NGT to a win in the 200m Relay.
It was also a good day for 12-year-old East Georgetown’s

The large crowd included International Singer Eddie Grant and his brother Rudy.

(District 12) Aleka Persaud who won the U-14 Girls 50m freestyle in 28.68 which was faster than Grant, five years her senior, had clocked over the same distance.
Persaud, the daughter of the GASA President then took the Girls U-14, 50M Backstroke in 34.78 and according to Aleka’s dad her 28.68 is the unofficial local record in the Girls’ 50m freestyle which is held by Britany Van-Lange who is presently on an overseas scholarship. See tomorrow’s papers for complete results. (Sean Devers)