Tsunami Saipan swimmers eye medals, finals stint

Eight of the nine Tsunami Swimming Center Saipan members competing in this weekend’s Tokyo Junior Sprint 2015 are aiming high as they are either going for medals or eyeing finals appearances in their races.

Kaito Yanai acknowledges the crowd after completing his race during last year’s Tokyo Sprint at the Tatsumi International Swimming Arena in Tokyo. (Contributed Photo)

Tsunami Saipan head coach Hiro Kimura said the club’s four swimmers will target podium finishes, while the remaining four will attempt to enter the finals of their respective events.

Tokyo Sprint veteran Kaito Yanai is looking to earn gold medals both in the 100m individual medley and 50m breaststroke and also post new personal best times in these races. Miku Tammy, another tournament returnee, is hoping to bag the gold medal in the 50m breaststroke and make it to the finals of the 100m IM, while Ryuto Yanai is targeting a Top 3 finish in the 50m freestyle.

Ashley Dangol, one of the six swimmers who will debut in the annual tournament, is competing in two events. She is gunning for gold in the 50m butterfly and a Top 3 finish in the 100 IM.

Dangol’s fellow Tokyo Sprint newcomers, Anthony Camacho-Deleon Guerrero, Hans Xu, Sophia Gauran, and Nanaka Watanabe are aiming to barge into the finals. Camacho-Deleon Guerrero will compete in the 50m freestyle race, Gauran and Xu will join both the 100M IM, and Watanabe will swim in the 50m breaststroke event. Juhn Tenorio is the ninth member of the team and aims to make it to the Top 25 in his preliminary races.

Meanwhile, the club would like to thank the people who helped make its swimmers’ Tokyo trip possible.

“Tsunami Swimming Center Saipan would like to extend its sincerest appreciation and gratitude to representatives Edmund Villagomez, B.J. Attao, Edwin K. Propst, Roman Benavente, Lorenzo Deleon Guerrero, Vinnie Sablan, Joseph “Lee Pan” Guerrero, Francis Taimanao, and Ralph Demapan and senators Justo Quitugua and Arnold I. Palacios for their contributions in the club’s efforts to represent the CNMI in the Tokyo Junior Sprint Swimming Competition. It is truly humbling to be given the support by our leadership. We are truly grateful and vow to continue training our young swimmers in every way possible to represent our Marianas,” Kimura said.

Tsunami Saipan also thanked the management and staff of Mariana Resort & Spa for allowing the club to hold a fundraiser at the Kan Pacific Swimming Pool and the parents of other swimmers for supporting the same event even though their children are not joining the Tokyo trip.

The eight-member Tsunami Saipan team will leave Saipan for Tokyo this morning.