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Simon, Gwen top 100m; Leo, Aileen fastest in 50m
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Posted on Feb 22 2023
Simon Shindo, fourth from left, topped the U10 boys 100m event of last Saturday’s Tan Holdings 50th Anniversary Swim Meet in the waters off the Civic Center Beach. (MARK RABAGO)
The CNMI’s youngest swimmers showed off in the 100m and 50m events of the Tan Holdings 50th Anniversary Swim Meet last Saturday in the waters off the Civic Center Beach.
Simon Shindo was the first out of the water in the boys U10 100m after timing in at 1:42.07. He was followed by fellow Tsunami Saipan Swimming Center member Xingchen Wang and Saipan Swim Club swimmer Gabriel Cariaso with times of 1:47.65 and 1:58.42, respectively.
Gwen Retardo, fifth from left, topped the U10 girls 100m event of last Saturday’s Tan Holdings 50th Anniversary Swim Meet in the waters off the Civic Center Beach. (MARK RABAGO)
“I felt really great when I won the race. It has been over two years since I participated in the ocean swim. I was very excited to be a part of the race,” said Shindo.
The 10-year-old from Grace Christian Academy said he almost lost steam near the end but persevered.
“I didn’t see any fish and turtles. Toward the end was the hardest part, because I was losing stamina, but I knew I needed to keep it up, then I finally won,” he added.
Gwen Retardo topped the girls U10 100m winner after clocking in at 1:51.80. Tsunami Saipan actually finished 1-2 in the event as Evan Shin got second in 2:04.59 with SSC’s Olivia Walsh third in 2:14.53.
Leo Li, third from right, topped the U8 boys 50m event of last Saturday’s Tan Holdings 50th Anniversary Swim Meet in the waters off the Civic Center Beach.(MARK RABAGO)
“I felt really happy and proud of myself. The toughest part was getting out of the beach because there were corals and rocks on the sand and my legs were really tired from running because I felt so exhausted,” said Retardo.
The 8-year-old student from GCA said she almost felt sad she wasn’t able to see any fish during her swim.
Allen Kim, fourth from right, topped the U8 girls 50m event of last Saturday’s Tan Holdings 50th Anniversary Swim Meet in the waters off the Civic Center Beach. (MARK RABAGO)
Leo Li was the fastest tadpole in the U8 50m event with a time of 56.07. He was followed by fellow Tsunami Saipan members Taewon Park (1:06.79) and Shuro Barman (1:07.41).
Li said he was very happy he won the race and the most challenging part was the turnaround.
The 7-year-old from Garapan Elementary School thanked Tsunami Saipan coach Hiroyuki Kimura for teaching him how to swim competitively.
In the girls U8 50m, Tsunami Saipan also had another sweep with Aileen Kim, Yoonmin Cho, and Fiona Yu finishing 1-2-3 in the event.
Kim finished in 55:84, Cho in 1:10.55, and Yu in 1:11.74.
“I felt proud of myself. The toughest part was the waves because they blocked us from going faster,” said Kim, an 8-year-old from Saipan International School.
