9 Tsunami Saipan swimmers off to Japan

Tsunami Saipan Swimming Center is sending a nine-member team to Japan to compete in the Tokyo Junior Sprint 2015 this weekend.

The nine Tsunami Saipan swimmers who will be competing in Tokyo, Japan this weekend, pose for a group photo before resuming their training session last week at the Kan Pacific Swimming Pool. (Contributed Photo)

Leading Tsunami Saipan’s team are Tokyo Sprint returnees Kaito and Ryuto Yanai and Miku Tammy. Completing the squad are Sophia Gauran, Juhn Tenorio, Nanaka Watanabe, Anthony Camacho-Deleon Guerrero, Hans Xu, and Ashley Dangol. Former Tsunami Saipan swimmers and brothers Shin and Kensuke Kimura, who are now studying in Japan, will assist the young swimmers. The team will leave Saipan for Tokyo on March 5.

This weekend is Kaito’s fourth appearance in the same tournament, having joined the competition in 2010, 2012, and 2014. Last year, the 15-year-old Marianas High School freshman brought home two medals, winning the gold in the 100m individual medley and silver in the 50m breaststroke.

Tammy also took two gold medals in last year’s event, her second stint in the annual competition. The 12-year-old Tanapag Elementary School student hauled a gold medal in the 50m butterfly and bronze in the 100m IM.

Ryuto notched two medals, too (gold in the 50m freestyle and bronze in the 50m butterfly) when he debuted in the same tournament in 2012 and is expected to join similar events in his return to the competition for 18-and-under swimmers.

The remaining members of the team also have impressive accomplishments even though they will be participating in the off-island contest for the first time.

The 11-year-old Gauran had three high-point award on her belt, having topped the 9 to 10 age group of the 2014 Saipan International Meet and Guam Championships and 11 to 12 division of the 2015 SSC Pentathlon Meet in January.

Tenorio, Camacho-Deleon Guerrero, and Watanabe, who will enter the 9 to 10 competition this weekend, are also coming off notable performances last year. The 10-year-old Tenorio took the high point trophy in Guam International Meet, was runner-up in the Guam Championship, and finished third in the Saipan International Meet. Camacho gained the second place in the high point category in 2014 Saipan International Meet and Guam Championships, while Watanabe ruled both the girls U8 division of the Saipan and Guam meet last year.

Dangol, the youngest female member of the Tokyo-bound squad, took runner-up honors last year in the Saipan and Guam competition before starting 2015 with a first place award in the Saipan Swim Club-organized pentathlon meet last month. Xu, another U8 swimmer, grabbed third place high point award in the Saipan meet and both Guam tournaments last year and duplicated Dangol’s feat in the pentathlon competition.

Tsunami Saipan is one of the 113 teams participating in the Tokyo Sprint, which will be held at the Tatsumi International Swimming Arena. The 10 swimmers are the most so far the club will be sending to the annual tournament, which draws 3,345 swimmers around the world.