Palau swimmers, Miller make Top 3

Saipan Swim Club’s Michael Miller rushes out of the water to complete the 600m swim during yesterday’s 39th Annual SSC Ocean Swim held in the waters near Naked Fish in Susupe. (Roselyn B. Monroyo)

Two Palau swimmers and Saipan Swim Club’s Michael Miller finished in the Top 3 in the shortest course in yesterday’s 39th Annual SSC Ocean Swim held in the waters near Naked Fish in Susupe.

Charlie Gibbons completed the 600m swim in 13:42 to earn the first place honors, while Miller came in at second after clocking in at 14:11. Gibbon’s teammate Kazuumi Nestor rounded out the Top 3 after registering 15:18. Three other swimmers raced in the U8’s 600m course.

In the 1K course, which drew 16 swimmers, Tsunami Swimming Center Saipan’s Aasish Dangol led the way after crossing the finish line in 15:46.

Joining Dangol in the boys 9 to 10’s Top 3 were his teammate Kouki Watanabe and Palau’s Jion Hosei, who submitted 16:18 and 19:47, respectively.

In the girls 9 to 10, Tsunami Saipan’s Marian Batallones was the first finisher in her division and third overall after checking in at the 17:14 mark. SSC’s Kaithlyn Chavez placed second after recording 18:54, while Guam and Manukai Athletic Club’s Sophie Tarr made it to the podium after posting 20:48.

Meanwhile, swimmers in the older age group either competed in the 2.6K or 5.2K distances and results of these races were unavailable at press time.

In related news, the 2018 Saipan Swim Club International Meet kicked off last Friday at the Kan Pacific Swimming Pool with swimmers from Guam, Saipan, Pohnpei, and Palau competing in 15 individual events and one relay.

The tournament started with the lung-busting 1,500m freestyle event with SSC’s Kento Akimaru registering the fastest time among the 11 swimmers who took on the challenge of racing in the longest distance in the competition. The 17-year-old Akimaru completed the 30-lap swim in 18:09.21.

Palau’s Jericho Maido had the second best time at 18:15.98. He won the boys 13 to 14 race, beating SSC’s Lennosuke Suzuki (19:30.37), and Tsunami Saipan’s Juhn Tenorio (19:35.32) and Nelson Batallones (20:01.29).

In the boys 11 to 12, Lennosuke’s brother Jinnosuke clocked in at 18:22 (third best overall) and topped fellow SSC swimmer Anthony Camacho-Deleon Guerrero (20:37.76) and Tsunami Saipan’s Hans Xu (21:11:20).

In the girls division, Tsunami Guam’s Samantha Hon was the fastest at 18:49.51, followed by Palau’s Osisang Chilton (20:46.46) and Tsunami Saipan’s Aika Watanabe (21:59.58).

Results in the other events last Friday along with the Saturday races will be reported once organizers made them official.