Swimmers off to World Championships this weekend

From left, CNMI national swimmers Jinnosuke Suzuki, Juhn Tenorio, and Asaka and Shoko Litulumar pose during a pause in practice at the Aqua Resort Club. (CONTRIBUTED PHOTO)

The CNMI National Team that will compete in the 2021 FINA World Swimming Championships set from Dec. 16 to 21 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates will leave Saipan this Sunday.

Jinnosuke Suzuki, Juhn Tenorio, and sisters Shoko and Asaka Litulumar said they’re ready as can be to make their home islands proud in the international competition.

“Training has been good so far since we are working on our dives and our events. I expect to get best times in all my events and hopefully I can break the 100m freestyle and 200m freestyle record. I feel prepared to race because we have been training but I also feel a little nervous. I am very thankful for my coach, our pool, the swimming federation, and my family for helping me get to this point,” said the 16-year-old Marianas High School student.

Suzuki started swimming when he was just 3 years old following the footsteps of his older brother Lennosuke.

Juhn Tenorio said the team’s training has been going well and all of the hard work to prepare for the World Championships is done.

“Now we are making small adjustments in our technique and make strategies to the race. I am expecting myself to bring out my best performance at the biggest stage of the world. I am confident in myself that I can achieve my goals and I believe my teammates are as well. I would like to dedicate my races to my teammates and my coach because we have worked hard together every day and our results of the race will represent our work,” said the 17-year-old MHS student.

He also thanked the Northern Marianas Swimming Federation for all their help and support in sending them to Abu Dhabi.

“Without them we would have not gotten to this point,” said Tenorio, who got into swimming when he was 5 years old because his godbrother was also swimming.

Shoko said training has been going well and she believes she made improvements especially with her dives.

“I expect myself to get satisfactory times in all my events, meaning getting all personal best times. I am still mentally preparing myself for the big change in environment because it’s been a long time since I’ve swam in an official pool with fast competitors aside from my teammates,” said the 14-year-old also from MHS.

She said she’s dedicating her trip to the World Championships to the people who have supported her to reach this point in her swimming career.

“I would want to thank our pool so much, my coach, and Ms. Yuko for helping me improve myself in swimming, my swim teammates for keeping me motivated during hard practices, and most especially my parents for continuously supporting me,” she said.

Yuko Kimura is the manager and secretary of Tsunami Saipan Swimming Center and the wife of head coach Hiroyuki.

Asaka, for her part, said training hasn’t been the easiest the past several weeks because it’s quite tough to maintain a good average time.

“I have been working hard for this moment to come and I can’t wait to show what I’ve got. My expectation in Abu Dhabi is to get personal best times for all my events. However, I expect to cut 30 seconds for 50m freestyle in Abu Dhabi. I have high expectations for myself because I believe that anything is possible if we put our minds to it. I am ready to give it the best I have for the swimming championships. I believe that I can achieve personal best times for all my events.”

Like her younger sister, the 16-year-old from MHS is dedicating her stint in the World Championships to their family for supporting them from the first time they started swimming.

“They have been our No. 1 supporters and I will make them proud. We wouldn’t be here today if it weren’t for them. They take time off to drive us to swimming practice almost every day and so we are forever grateful for them. I would also like to thank our pool for allowing us the opportunity to swim in. I appreciate the support for our team. I would also like to thank my coach and his wife, Mrs. Yuko, for training me to swim because I became the swimmer I am today because of her,” she said.

Asaka was introduced to swimming when her best friend invited her when she was just 7 years old. She then joined Tsunami Saipan with her sister.