Jakey tops heat in 50m breaststroke

From left, CNMI national coach Hiroyuki Kimura, Jakey Deleon Guerrero, and assistant coach Christian Villacrusis. (CONTRIBUTED PHOTO)

Jakey Deleon Guerrero topped his heat in his favorite 50m breaststroke event in the 20th FINA World Championships last Tuesday in Fukuoka, Japan.

The 17-year-old Marianas High School student touched the tile in a time of 33.05 to beat Hilal Hilal of Tanzania and Ibrahim Kamara of Sierra Leone in his heat.

“It was a good experience. I was able to place first in my heat,” he told Saipan Tribune about his performance in a social media message.

Despite finishing 55th out of 62 competitors in the 50m breaststroke, Deleon Guerrero said it was still mission accomplished as far as he’s concerned “because now I get to see where I fair off against the others.”

Yesterday, Deleon Guerrero and the rest of Team NMI swimmers—Isaiah Aleksenko, Maria Batallones, and Shoko Litulumar—swam the 4×100 medley.

Like the previous week in Japan, Deleon Guerrero said they’re pretty much training when they’re not competing, especially in the lead up to the medley event.

“Focusing on dives and practicing our designated strokes during practice,” he said.

Assistant coach Christian Villacrusis, meanwhile, gave Deleon Guerrero a pat on the back for swimming his best in the 50m breaststroke.

“Jakey swam great today! It was nice to see his hard work pay off. He finished his second individual event today and is now preparing for the relay races. The swimmers are also doing well with their training. They all look ready to swim fast and we will be seeing more action tomorrow (yesterday) as Shoko swims the 50m backstroke and the whole team does the medley relay!”

As for transitioning to being a coach from being a national swimmer, the former George Fox University varsity said he’s learning a lot from CNMI national coach Hiroyuki Kimura.

“The experience in Japan is good. I’m trying my best to learn from coach Hiro while assisting him. I am also trying to form connections with the coaches from Micronesia. It is nice because they still remember me from when I was a swimmer.”

When asked if he prefers coaching to swimming, Villacrusis said “I feel like coming as a coach is a lot easier than as a swimmer. There’s a lot less pressure.”

Aside from Kimura and Villacrusis, Northern Mariana Islands Swimming Federation vice president John Hirsh comprises the rest of Team NMI in Fukuoka, Japan.

The NMISF would also like to thank the following for helping the swimmers and coaches fund their trip to Japan: The CNMI Legislature, specifically Speaker Edmund S. Villagonez (Ind-Saipan) and Reps. Blas Jonathan T. Attao (Ind-Saipan) Joseph A. Flores (Ind-Saipan), and Ralph N. Yumul (Ind-Saipan), Saipan Mayor Ramon B. Camacho, Aqua Resort Club, BAB Restaurant, Crowne Plaza Resort Saipan, Dae Jang Kum Restaurant, Fishing Tackle & Sporting Goods, Gold’s Gym Saipan, Islander Rent-a-Car, Korean House Restaurant, Lohas Massage, Mobil Oil Marianas,Pacific Islands Club Saipan, Pacific Quick Print, Shell Marianas Corp., Saipan World Resort, Zen Corp., Zoom Chicken, Saipan Swim Club parents, Tsunami Saipan parents, and all who supported NMISF’s fundraising activities.