By Prior Beharry
AT least two of Trinidad and Tobago swimmers at the World Aquatics Masters Championships – Kyushu 2023 in Japan have made top ten finishes.
Masters swimmers Danielle Cozier and Anton Gopaulsingh attained eight top ten placings in the 50 metre butterfly, the 50 metre breaststroke, the 50 metre freestyle, the 100 metre freestyle and 100 metre backstroke events.
Trinidad and Tobago had eight swimmers at the event that took place across the three cities of Fukuoka, Kumamoto and Kagoshima from August 2 to 11. There were more than 10,000 participants from 100 countries.
Athletes took part in five disciplines – swimming, diving, water polo, artistic swimming and open water swimming.
This is the premier global event for masters swimming, which is normally held every other year, but due to the global pandemic was last held in 2019.
Cozier is no stranger to success having attained six medals at the Pan Am Games held in Medellin, Colombia from July 21 to 28 2022 and another four at the US Masters 2022 Summer Nationals in Richmond, Virginia held from August 3 to 7, last year. (Click here to read AZP News feature on Cozier)
According to Gopaulsingh, T&T masters team have produced excellent results in global and regional competitions in recent years, including 33 medals (seven gold, eight silver and 18 bronze) and one Pan American record at the 2022 Pan American Masters Championships in Colombia; four bronze medals at the 2019 FINA World Masters Championships in Korea; and two silver medals at the 2018 Pan American Masters Championships in the USA.
In Japan, T&T had eight swimmers who had qualified and registered to represent team TTO. They are Gopaulsingh (Captain), Cozier, Patrick Lee Loy, Mervyn Campbell, Curtis Harper, Teheli Sealey, Wendy Ammon and Khrystanne George.
TTO swimmers were in the open water 3km race as well as in the pool races in distances from 50m to 800m.
