Jinnosuke paces qualifiers anew; Asaka tops women

From left, Taiyo Akimaru Jinnosuke Suzuki, Juhn Tenorio (squatting), Asaka and Shoko Litulumar, and Savita Sikkel pose for a group photo after taking part in the 1,000m qualifier of Saipan Swimming Club’s Triple Crown Open Water Swim Series last Saturday morning in the waters off the Civic Center Beach in Susupe. (Mark Rabago)

Jinnosuke Suzuki proved his victory in the 1,000 qualifier in the first part of Saipan Swimming Club’s Triple Crown Open Water Swim Series earlier this month was no fluke by again winning the second part last Saturday morning in the waters off the Civic Center Beach in Susupe.

Suzuki was the first green-capped swimmer to touch the flag in a time of 9:56.75 to easily eclipse the 13:01:1 he turned in last time out. Fellow Swimming Center Tsunami Saipan member Juhn Tenorio came in second anew at 10:15.34, which was also an improvement on the 13:25.5 he registered in the July 10 event.

SSC’s Taiyo Akimaru and Jakey Deleon Guerrero finished third and fourth with times of 10:56.69 and 11:30.61l, respectively.

Curiously, Suzuki’s faster time came even as large swells almost made SSC coach Richard Sikkel cancel the open water swim.

“Although the weather was not very good, I still had fun swimming because it was a different experience. The current and waves made it harder to swim than before,” Suzuki said.

Tenorio said despite finishing second again he’s just happy to be in the mix. “I am grateful to be in the position of being in the selection race. Even if the weather was not on our side we still swam through it and it was a good experience for us swimmers. Lastly, I want to thank the people that help make this event happen.”

Tsunami Saipan’s Asaka Litulumar was the first woman to compete the race in her debut in the qualifier. She timed in at 11:29.47 to beat out her sister, Shoko, who crossed the flag in 12:01.453. SSC’s Savita Sikkel was third in 12:32.94.

“I was thrilled to be part of the qualifiers last week. I had an amazing time but it was a bit of a challenge because the water was rough and the current was strong. Every swimmer did great out there despite this challenge and I believe we will continue to do our best in the next race,” said Asaka after the race.

Shoko, for her part, said it’s a credit to the swimmers that the inclement weather didn’t deter them from competing in the open water swim.

“The day the second ocean swim was held, the current was strong, the waves were humongous, and it was raining hard. For any other person, it would look like the race would be canceled, but to me and my swim teammates, it was an obstacle to overcome to get stronger and faster,” she said.

Shoko added while they looked forward to swimming under those conditions, it’s not to say that the event didn’t have its scary moments.

“I was excited to swim in the current, but once I swam warm-up, it was serious. I choked on the water I thought I’d die. But even so, it was a new experience I knew I would never pass. I swam the 1K with all my might, but I know I could have swum faster. I need to practice harder and sharpen my swimming technique for the next ocean swim this September. I hope to have my time improve for that race. I will do my best and train harder than ever.”

Sikkel seconded Shoko’s take and extended kudos to all participants for taking on the challenge head on. “During the race last Saturday, the weather conditions were not ideal. However, we were still able to compete and all the races went well.”

Triple Crown Open Water Swim Series was sanctioned by the Northern Mariana Islands Swimming Federation and is the second of three events, which main purpose is to choose four swimmers (top two men and top two women) that will represent the CNMI in the 2021 FINA World Championships in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates this coming December.

Results of the 20m for beginners, 50m for intermediate, 100m for advanced, 500m open, and 1,000m open will be published in the next issues of the Saipan Tribune.