Tsunami Saipan pins hopes on 7 swimmers

Tsunami Swimming Center Saipan believes seven off its 22 members participating in this weekend’s 2015 Guam Championships have a strong chance to win top high-point awards in their respective division.

The Guam-bound Tsunami Saipan swimmers pose for a group photo during a break in their training session at the Kan Pacific Swimming Pool last weekend. (Contributed Photo)

Tsunami Saipan coach Hiro Kimura is positive that U8’s Hans Xu and Ashley Dangol, 9 to 10’s Anthony Camacho-Deleon Guerrero and Nanaka Watanabe, 11 to 12’s Sophia Gauran, and 15 to 16’s Kaito Yanai and Angel De Jesus can finish first in their age groups as the seven swimmers will be competing in the maximum (eight races) allowed events per participant.

Kaito is joining the 50m, 100m, and 200m breaststroke, 200m and 400m individual medley, 50m butterfly, and 50m and 400m freestyle, while De Jesus is entered in the 50m breaststroke, 50m, 100m, and 200m freestyle, 50m butterfly, 50m and 200m backstroke, and 200m IM. Dangol will be competing in the 50m, 100m, and 200m freestyle, 50m and 100m butterfly, 50m breaststroke, 50m backstroke, and 200m IM, while Camacho-Deleon Guerrero will be racing in the 50m, 100m, 200m, and 400m freestyle, 50m and 100m breaststroke, and 50m and 100m butterfly. Gauran will be participating in the 50m, 100m, and 200m breaststroke, 100m and 400m freestyle, 50m butterfly, 200m backstroke, and 200m IM.

Watanabe and Xu’s eight events have yet to be decided, along with the races for Takumi Sugie and 14 other Tsunami Saipan swimmers heading to Guam tomorrow. Tsunami Saipan was scheduled to finalize the events for other swimmers last night. Completing the Tsunami Saipan team are Ryuto Yanai, Aika Watanabe, Mark Maestro, Nelson Batallones, Jun Tenorio, Kenta Tomie, Arman Rechucher, Isaiah Aleksenko, Kyona Rivera, Miku Tammy, Rei Sekiguchi, Natsuki Nagata, Asaka Litulumar, and Ayumi Obligacion. The 22-member squad is so far the biggest team that will represent the club to the tournament slated at the Hagatna Swimming Pool.

Kimura said some swimmers have less than eight events, but still there is a strong possibility that they will win high-point awards or land in the Top 3 rankings. The list includes 13 to 14’s Mastero, 11 to 12’s Aika Watanabe and Batallones, and 9 to 10’s Tenorio.

“Other swimmers will not participate in full events and their total score maybe low. Therefore there is no possibility they will become high-point winners,” Kimura said.

Swimmers are awarded points based on how they finish in each event.