36 complete SSC ocean swim

The 34th Annual Saipan Swim Club Ocean Swim drew 36 participants with the host’s Victoria Chentsova leading the finishers of the Sunday race in the waters off the Saipan World Resort.

Chentsova completed the 2.5-kilometer swim in 37 minutes 58.62 seconds to top the girls 13 to 14 age group and beat five other swimmers who joined the longest race of the day. The SSC swimmer finished ahead of Tsunami Saipan’s Angel Marie Tan (38:26.09) and Manukai Athletic Club (Guam)’s Taloani Atoigue (50:50.68).

Saipan’s Jeff El-Hajj was the second overall finisher in the 2.5-km race and won the men’s 20 to 29 age group with his 39:55.93, while SSC Masters’ Carol Lynn Calobong-Pierce submitted 45:50.07 to claim top honors in the 50 to 59 age group. Manukai’s Hee Jung Kang also joined the 2.5-kilometer event and posted 50:59.54 in the girls 15 to 19 age group.

Besides the 2.5-km race, last Sunday’s competitions also featured three other events—600 meter, 1km, and 1.3km.

The 1.3-km race drew the most participants with 16 and another SSC bet, Kento Akimaru, recorded the fastest time in the second longest race of the day. The 11-year-old Akimaru finished the race in 19:46.70 to beat teammates David Boyer (25:30.34) and Genel Christian Villacrusis (28:57.96) in the boys 11 to 12 division.

Other finishers in the 1.3-km race were Manukai’s Danielle Atoigue (24:53.04) and Kate Lee McCormic (25:36.85), World Resort’s Charlie Min (24:54.50), Jayson Camacho (27:28.65), Amrit Limbu (26:03.45), Jerryson Mani (30:28.64), Vener Urena (22:22.49), and Fernando Java (26:11.36), SSC Masters’ Eileen Escudero Wisor (27:31.65) and Suzy Kindel (25:50.95), and Saipan’s Ty Izuka (30:54.76), Nicky Nichols (24:27.85), and Manny Sitchon (27:23.37).

In the boys 9 to 10 1-km race, seven SSC swimmers slug it out for the top honors with Lennosuke Suzuki winning with his time of 18:33.12. Suzuki outsprinted Taiga Sato to the finish line, as the latter settled for second place with his time of 18:33.86. Michael Villagomez completed the Top 3 after tallying 20:55.55 and was followed by Naoki Kasai (20:08.06), Rinto Takahashi (20:09.42), Michail Villagomez (23:09.68), and R.J. Pierce (26:52.44).

In the 600m race, Conatsu Kaga defeated younger sister, Coume, in the girls U8 race after the former logged 17:39.83 against the latter’s 25:39.71. In the boys U8 division, Miku Torres edged Taiyo Akimaru in a down-to-the-wire finish. Torres clocked in at 16:00.15 against Akimaru’s 16:00.21. Akira Kadokura and Jinnosuke Suzuki came in at third and fourth with their times of 16:13.65 and 16:28.57, respectively.

Last Sunday’s ocean swim capped SSC’s three-day competitions over the weekend. Last Friday and Saturday, the oldest swim club on Saipan held a tournament at the Kan Pacific Swimming Pool with the hosts racing against Tsunami Saipan bets and swimmers from Guam’s Manukai Athletic Club and the Andersen Marlins of the Andersen Air Force Base. Results of the swim meet will be released later this week.