PRIME MINISTER Dr Keith Rowley has congratulated the Trinidad and Tobago athletes for their excellent achievement at the 2017 Central American and Caribbean Amateur Swimming Confederation (CCCAN) Championships, which concluded at the National Aquatic Centre in Couva, on Sunday.
Team TT pulled off an upset at the Championships, finishing first overall over four disciplines. The historic achievement for TT as the only English-speaking country to top the points table of 26 countries over the event’s 70- year history is simply astounding.
In a media release issued yesterday, Rowley saluted the young athletes. “You have made the entire country proud of your accomplishments.
Success does not come easy but your hard word, passionate commitment, grit and determination has paid off. Team TTO is today an inspiration for all who aspire to greatness in our nation.” Minister of Sport and Youth Affairs Darryl Smith was happy that the country was able to host a successful Championships. “We were confident that the Aquatic Centre would adequately meet the demands of such a large tournament, which was ably managed by ASATT (Amateur Swimming Association of TT),” Smith said.
“Equally, as the first time hosts of all five disciplines of the Championships, we never doubted that Team TTO’s home crowd advantage would be a factor in the athlete’s performances. We congratulate all the athletes and their coaches for the commitment and dedication shown over the past few months. The entire aquatics community should be proud of the record- breaking accomplishments at CCCAN 2017, both in and out of the pool.” TT did not only emerge champions overall, but earned a record haul of 73 medals, the most in the country’s history of participation at CCCAN. Among the additional firsts recorded by TT during CCCAN 2017 were a competitive diver Alyssa Ramlakhan winning gold in the springboard events, as well as registering more than half a dozen meet records.
“These feats bode well for the present and future of aquatics in TT, as we look ahead to cheering on one of the CCCAN stars Dylan Carter at the World Championships to be held from July 14 to 30 in Budapest, Hungary,” the media release ended.