Swim records galore

Low water level at the Kan Pacific Swimming Pool in Marpi due to frequent power outages did not stop CNMI swimmers from making record-breaking performances in 2008.

Records were shattered one event after another with Rezne Wong, Kai Staal, Kensuke and Shin Kimura, and Grace Kimball putting their names in the CNMI swimming history.

Wong started the record splash during the Saipan Swim Club-hosted Heptathlon Virtual Meet. He set records in the 50m breaststroke (33.88 seconds) and 100m breaststroke (1:12.19) in the 15 to 16 age group. Wong’s time in the 50m breaststroke was also a CNMI National Record then before he eclipsed his own mark last month during the 2008 Guam International Swim Meet clocking in at 33.18 seconds. Before the Guam meet, Wong also held the 50m breaststroke record at 33.39 seconds, which he posted during the SSC-Tsunami Saipan Dual Meet in October.

Wong was already 17 years old when he set records in May in the 17 to 18 age group’s 50m breaststroke (34.05 seconds), and in the 100m breaststroke (1:10.91/age group and CNMI National marks).

Seven months after, Wong smashed his mark in the 100m breaststroke, clocking in at 1:10.21 (17 to 18 age group and CNMI National record) in the Guam yearend event.

The Marianas High School student also set a CNMI National Record and 17 to 18 age group mark in the 200m breaststroke with his time of 2:30.54 in Guam last month.

Staal spent the last three months of 2008 season shattering one record after another.

In October, Staal broke two records in the boys’ 13 to 14 age group. He timed in 2:07.16 in the 200m freestyle and 26.18 seconds in the 50m freestyle.

In November, he posted 25.68 seconds in the 50m freestyle of the 200m medley free relay swim for Saipan International School. In the 100m freestyle, Staal recorded 57.46 seconds.

Finally, in December Staal swam in longer freestyle events, but still made new marks in the 200m (2.07.15) and 400m (4:34.13). He also set new records in the 50m breaststroke (35.33 seconds) and 100m breaststroke (1:16.07).

Shin Kimura made it to the record books of 2008 with his 9:46.04 time in December in the 800m freestyle swim in the boys’ 15 to 16 age group.

Younger brother Kensuke owned four records in the 11 to 12 age group in 2008.

In October, he timed in at 10:23.35 in the 800m freestyle and 4:54.33 in the 400m free during the All Schools meet in November.

Earlier in May, Kensuke clocked a new best in the 200m breaststroke ( 3:04) and set a new mark in the 1500m freestyle in July with his 19:43.27

SSC’s Grace Kimball was the lone female swimmer to barge into the record books in 2008 posting 1:05.92 in the girls’ 11 to 12 age group’s 100m freestyle competition of the 2008 SSC Summer Classic.