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Kento, Jinnosuke win in Palau
Saipan Swim Club’s Kento Akimaru and Jinnosuke Suzuki won their respective races in the 10th Annual Palau Open Water Swim held last Saturday in the waters off Palau Pacific Resort in Koror.
Saipan Swim Club swimmers and coaches pose for a photo at the conclusion of the 10th Annual Palau Open Water Swim held last Saturday in the waters off Palau Pacific Resort in Koror. (Contributed Photo)
In an email message sent to Saipan Tribune, SSC coach Jacoby Winkfield said Akimaru finished first in the 5-kilometer course. Akimaru’s time was not mentioned in the email and organizers have yet to send the official results of the meet to Saipan Tribune, but Palau Swimming Association reported that Akimaru made it to the finish line only four seconds ahead of Hawaii’s Cameron Lyon.
In the 3K event, Jinnosuke was the first finisher, while Victoria Chentsova and Lennosuke Suzuki made it to the Top 3 in their respective divisions. Chentsova was runner-up in the women’s 5K, while the older Suzuki came in at third in the same course.
“The kids are safe and swam very well today (Saturday). It’s a very good day of swimming for SSC,” Winkfield said.
The SSC team, which also has Taiyo Akimaru, R.J. Pierce, David Boyer, and Salofi Welch as members, are among the over 100 swimmers who joined the annual race that also featured 250m, 500m, and 1,500m courses and included Japanese bets. They also competed in the 2nd Annual Rock Island Swim, but results of the race were unavailable at press time.
Meanwhile, SSC swimmers and representatives of Aulea Swim Club (Oahu, Hawaii) were scheduled to join the host country in the Inaugural Palau Invitational last night at the Meyuns National Swimming Pool.
Three events were slated in Day 1 of the competition, starting off with the 400m individual medley and followed by the 1,500m freestyle, and 400m medley relay. The meet will conclude today with the first session running from 8am to 10am and the second and final from 4:30pm to 6:30pm.
