Tsunami Saipan bets update PBTs

From left, Kana Suzuki, Tsunami Saipan coach Hiro Kimura, and Isaiah Aleksenko pose for a photo after the awards ceremony for the 2014 Guam International Meet last month at the Hagatna Swimming Pool.
(Contributed Photo)

Kana Suzuki, Isaiah Aleksenko, and Juhn Tenorio, who notched high-point top honors in their respective age groups in the 2014 Guam International Meet, and Angel De Jesus and Nelson Batallones combined for 17 PBTs when they joined the Dec. 29 and 30 tournament held at the Hagatna Swimming Pool.

Three of the five Tsunami Saipan bets registered PBTs in the 100m freestyle swim with Suzuki submitting 1:38.52 (from 1:41.89), Aleksenko logging 1:26.16 (from 1:30:04), and Tenorio posting 1:18.38 (from 1:19.73).

Suzuki’s time in the 100m freestyle topped the girls U8 field, as she defeated Tsunami Guam’s Sydney Packbier (1:39.26) and Andersen Marlins’ Taylor Frederickson (2:27.47). Aleksenko also had the best time in his age group (U8), beating three other swimmers, while Tenorio finished second among five swimmers in the 9 to 10 division.

In the 50m backstroke, Suzuki had about a four-second drop as she clocked a field’s second best 54.28 seconds (from 58.10), while Tenorio and Batallones timed in at 42.08 and 41.34 seconds to beat their previous PBTs of 43.44 and 43.03 seconds, respectively. Tenorio topped the event, while Batallones was ranked fourth.

In the 200m individual medley, all three Tsunami Saipan swimmers who joined the tough event gained PBTs. Batallones had the biggest drop, chopping off around 30 seconds from his old PBT (3:45.32) after tallying 3:15.08, which was a field best. Tenorio registered 3:23.17 to eclipse his 3:23.98 and rule the race, while De Jesus had 2:56.60 (from 2:59.30), the second fastest time in the girls 15 to 16 age group.

De Jesus also earned a PBT in the 100m backstroke with her 1:25.34 (from 1:27.59), while Suzuki and Aleksenko had the same feat in the 50m breaststroke after timing in at 1:06.84 (from 1:13.01) and 54.52 seconds (1:01.19), respectively. Aleksenko won the event against four swimmers, while Suzuki and De Jesus finished second.

In the 200m freestyle, the visiting Tsunami Saipan swimmers got three more PBTs with Suzuki posting 3:35.08 (from 3:46.39), Aleksenko logging 3:12.80 (from 4:16.59), and Tenorio recording 2:55.71 (from 2:55.75).

Batallones missed a PBT in the 200m freestyle event, but got it in a longer race—the 400m freestyle—as his 5:57.99 erased his old mark of 6:12.00. He placed third in the event behind Tsunami Guam’s Caleb White (5:16.05) and Kane Aricayos (5:42.89).

The 11-year-old Batallones also earned a PBT in the 50m butterfly race after timing in at 37.88 seconds (from 37.91), while Tenorio gave Tsunami Saipan the last PBT with his 36.39 seconds in the 50m freestyle event. Tenorio cut down around one second from his previous PBT (37.33 seconds) as he prevailed in the race against six other swimmers.