Junior swimming team qualify for world event
Ghana’s junior swimming team last Saturday arrived from Cairo, Egypt, where they participated in the African Junior Swimming Championship with no medals but qualification to the World Junior Swimming Championship to be staged in Indianapolis, USA, from August 23 to 28.
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The qualification was as a result of the team’s performance which saw them chalk significant improvements in their various events.
Briefing Graphic Online on the performance of the team, Miss Farida A. Iddriss, the treasurer of the Ghana Swimming Federation said the performance of the team in Egypt was significant as it presented the swimmers with a rare opportunity.
Miss Idriss said with qualification for the world event secured, it was important to adequately prepare the team for the event and thus appealed to the Ministry of Youth and Sports and corporate bodies to support them financially.
The team was made up of seven swimmers, namely, Korantemaa Gayathri Asare, Maayaa Abigediwer Ayawere, Michael Ego Kumi, Kow Asafua Jackson, Prince Adjetey Sowah, Papa Yaw Dwumoh-Poku, Ryan Degraft Ackun and coach Jonathan Amoako-Atta and Boatemaa Baidoo, team physiotherapist.
In the girls 100 metres breaststroke event, Maayaa Ayawere finished ninth in the preliminaries in a time of 1:26:70 and then came10th in the 50 metres butterfly division within a time of 35:06 seconds.
Ayawere also made it to the final of the girls 50 metres breaststroke event and finished sixth in a time of 38:39 seconds improving on her personal best of -0.02 to record a final time of 38:37.
The boys 100 metres breaststroke competition also saw Kow Jackson finishing 10th within a time of 1:20:69 while Prince A. Sowah came 12th in a time of 1:38:78.
Kow Jackson, who is the captain of the team, also participated in the boys freestyle division and finished eighth in a time of 27:13 an improvement on the 27:21 which he recorded in the preliminaries.
Ryan Degraft Ackun and Papa Yaw Dwomoh-Poku went in the pool for the boys 50 metres freestyle and 100 metres preliminaries respectively, but both swimmers could not make it to the finals as they recorded a time of 29:90 and 1:24:67 in their respective events.