Swimmers across Antigua & Barbuda will compete for national honours over the next two days as the Antigua & Barbuda Swimming Federation (ABSF) hosts its national championships, which started Thursday with preliminaries at the Antigua Athletic Club in Coolidge.
Technical Director Edith Clashing said athletes would compete in various events over the weekend.
“On Friday we come back again to start at 6 in the evening and we will be running more events. This time it will be the 400s, the 100 freestyle and the 400 freestyle and one or two other events. We want to get those out of the way. Saturday is going to be our heaviest day of competition so we invite all of Antigua to please come and give us a look in,” she said.
“I know you might be divided in your loyalties, with some wanting to go to YASCO to see the track & field but we will be there so come and give us a look in,” she added.
The meet, which clashes with the Inter-schools Track & Field Championship at YASCO Sports Complex, will also serve as a qualifier for the Carifta Swimming Championships slated to start on April 15 in the Bahamas.
Clashing, in addressing the clash with the inter-schools championship, said that at this late stage, it could not have been avoided.
“We are also in preparation for Carifta and this is basically the last opportunity our swimmers have to make times for Carifta, so we don’t have much of a choice but to have it now. We had some smaller meets earlier but the kids are now better ready to give their best,” she said.
“We have had our calendar out for some time, since December but I don’t think it makes that much of a difference; because you have all of the schools’ sports days that start coming up and then inter-schools, so if it’s not going to be inter-schools then it is going to be trials for Carifta that is going to clash,” Clashing added.
Admission for the meet is $10 per adult and $5 per child under age 12 while those under age 5 will enter for free.