Tsunami Saipan swimmers set records

Isaiah Aleksenko is among the three swimmers from Tsunami Saipan Swimming Center to earn an age group mark in the 2017 Saipan Swim Club Pentathlon Meet held late last month at the Kan Pacific Swimming Pool in Marpi. (Roselyn B. Monroyo)

Siblings Aasish and Ashley Dangol of Tsunami Swimming Center Saipan entered the record books in their respective divisions, while Isaiah Aleksenko got his third age group mark after Northern Mariana Islands Swimming Federation certified the results of the 2017 Saipan Swim Club Pentathlon Meet held late last month at the Kan Pacific Swimming Pool in Marpi.

Aasish recorded his first age group mark in the boys U8 division after timing in at 36.47 seconds in the 50m butterfly. He shattered the five-year-old record of fellow Tsunami Saipan swimmer Ryuto Yanai, who clocked in at 36.48 seconds the same date (Feb. 18) Aasish posted his record. With his impressive mark last month, Aasish joined Yanai and Lukas Kang on the record list in the age group.

The 8-year-old Aasish swam in three other events, earning first place in all four races to take the top honors in his age group after collecting 36 points against the 28 of Tsunami Saipan teammate Kouki Watanabe and 18 of Saipan Swim Club’s Moshe Sikkel. In the 50m backstroke, Aasish submitted a personal best time (46.11 seconds), while he logged 48.18 second and 36.33 seconds in the 50m breaststroke and 50m freestyle, respectively.

Aasish sister—Ashley—also registered her first age group record in the girls 9 to 10 division after submitting 35.77 seconds in the 50m backstroke. Ashley, who owns nine marks in the U8 age group, broke the 36.90 seconds former Tsunami Saipan swimmer Miku Tammy made on March 22, 2013.

With her record-breaking swim in the 50m backstroke, Ashley now joins the company of Tammy and Angel Marie Tan.

The 50m backstroke was one of the five events Ashley ruled. She swam in the 50m butterfly with her 33.10 seconds earning her a PBT. Her times in other events were 45.81 seconds (50m breaststroke), 31.66 seconds (50m freestyle), and 2:51.66 (200m individual medley).

Meanwhile, Aleksenko also gained an age group record (boys 9 to 10) in the 50m backstroke with his 37.29 seconds nearly a second faster than the 38.13 Ryuto Yanai posted on May 3, 2014. The 10-year-old Aleksenko finished the sprint race more than a minute faster than Tsunami Saipan teammate Hans Xu (38.82 seconds) and way ahead of SSC’s Takeru Jim (57.59 seconds).

Besides his age group mark and first place finish in the 50m backstroke event, Aleksenko reigned supreme, too in the 200m IM (2:50.92), 50m freestyle (30.97 seconds), 50m breaststroke (44.68 seconds), and 50m butterfly (35.17 seconds). Aleksenko holds three other records in his age group—50m freestyle (30.66 seconds), 400m freestyle (5:08.50), and 800m freestyle (10:34.52).

Aleksenko and the Dangol siblings and eight other Tsunami Saipan swimmers competed in the Tokyo Junior Sprint 2017 at the Tatsumi International Swimming Arena after the pentathlon meet. The tournament in Tokyo was held over the weekend and results of the races were unavailable at press time.