Staal wins two medals in Japan

Tsunami Swimming Center Saipan’s Kai Staal brought home two medals from the Tokyo Junior Sprint 2009 to leave an impressive mark in his first and last appearance in the short course tournament held over the weekend at the Tatsumi International Swimming Stadium.

Staal timed in at 32.66 seconds in the 50m breaststroke race to win the silver medal in the 13 to 14 age group. Japan’s Toshiya Tanaka won the gold medal with his time of 31.72 seconds. Staal’s time in the short course in Tokyo is better than his record in the long course (35.33 seconds).

The 14-year-old CNMI swimmer gained his second medal in the 50m freestyle event after placing third in the finals. Staal clocked in at 25.63 seconds, which again eclipsed his long course mark of 25.68 seconds. Japan’s Takuya Shimada (25.42 seconds) took the gold medal in the 50m freestyle swim, while Hiroyuki Ishikawa (25.48 seconds) notched a silver.

“The challenge for Kai was to win medals in the Tokyo sprint and he responded. This meet really suits him because Kai is a sprinter,” said Tsunami Saipan coach Hiro Kimura.

“Tsunami Saipan is proud of Kai’s achievement in his first and last appearance in the Tokyo sprint,” Kimura added.

Staal competed in three events in Tokyo and also advanced to the 100m individual medley finals, finishing seventh with his time of 1:04.75.

Joining Staal in Tokyo was Kensuke Kimura, who also participated in three events. Kensuke finished 23rd among 81 swimmers in the boys’ 11 to 12 100m IM with his preliminary time of 1:14.35. In the 50m breaststroke, Kensuke was in 26th spot among 81 participants after clocking in at 38.85 seconds. In the 50m freestyle, Kensuke posted 31.11 seconds for 56th place among 141 swimmers.

“For Kensuke, this meet was a little difficult because he is a long distance swimmer. However, the sprint race was a good test for him. In long or middle distance events, it is also important to have a strong sprint power,” Hiro said.

Kensuke, who also joined last year’s junior tournament, is only 12 years old and is still eligible for next year’s Tokyo sprint. Staal would not be able to make a return trip in the tournament in 2010, as the Tokyo event is only for 14-and-under swimmers. But Hiro is hoping to bring more Tsunami Saipan swimmers in the short course tournament next year.