Swimming: Cana Zone IV Championship - Laird wins two more gold medals |21 February 2017
• Seychelles finishes seventh
With five gold medals – four bySportswoman of the Year Alexus Laird and one captured by Hayden Ah-Wan – Seychelles has finished seven overall in the medals standings at the Cana Zone IV Swimming Championship.
On the final day of competition on Sunday in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, Laird won two more gold medals to add to the other two captured on Friday to finish as the toast of Team Seychelles.
Seychelles finished the championship with 22 medals – 5 gold, 6 silver and 11 bronze.
Laird’s first gold medal on Sunday came in the female 17 years and over 50m freestyle in a championship record time of 27.05 seconds, while she picked up her second in the female 17 years and over 100m freestyle also in a championship record time of 59.64 seconds.
Laird was the first to touch the wall in the female 17 years and over 50m backstroke final during the morning session on Friday in a championship record time of 30.96 seconds.
During the afternoon session on Friday, she also captured the gold medal in the female 17 years and over 200m freestyle final also in a championship record time of 2 minutes 11.26 seconds (2:11.26).
Hayden Ah-Wan claimed Seychelles’ first gold medal by winning the 13 to 14 years category 800m freestyle in a time of 9:31.54, which is also a new championship record.
South Africa-based Laird also claimed four of the six silver medals won by Team Seychelles and they came in the female 17 years and over 50m butterfly with a time of 29.94 seconds, 200m backstroke with a time of 2:26.58, 100m backstroke with a time of 1:06.07 and 200m individual medley with a time of 2:31.33.
Lenel Ah-Wan (male 13 to 14 years 50m butterfly with a time of 27.93 seconds) and Therese Soukoup (female under-14 100m backstroke with a time of 1:11.64) were the other two silver medallists.
The 11 bronze medals have been won by Hayden Ah-Wan, Lenel Ah-Wan, Therese Soukoup and Alexus Laird.
Hayden Ah-Wan was third in the male 13 to 14 years 50m butterfly with a time of 28.00 seconds, 400m freestyle in 4:32.03, 100m freestyle in 57.53 seconds and 50m freestyle in 25.70 seconds.
Therese Soukoup finished third in the female under-14 800m freestyle with a time of 10:09.53 and again took third place in the 400m freestyle with a time of 4:55.00.
Laird was third in the female over-15 800m freestyle with a time of 9:45.86, 400m freestyle in 4:41.58 and 50m breaststroke in 35.26 seconds.
Swimming in the male 13 to 14 years category, Lenel Ah-Wan was placed third in the 100m backstroke in 1:06.43 and 100m butterfly in 1:04.03.
South Africa finished atop the 11-team table with 79 medals – 43 gold, 26 silver and 10 bronze – while host Zimbabwe was second with 98 medals – 23 gold, 37 silver and 38 bronze.
Zambia was placed third with 49 medals – 18 gold, 11 silver and 20 bronze.
The following is the final medals standings
Teams Gold Silver Bronze Total
South Africa 43 26 10 79
Zimbabwe 23 37 38 98
Zambia 18 11 20 49
Namibia 13 3 5 21
Mauritius 12 21 17 50
Botswana 6 2 6 14
Seychelles 5 6 11 22
Mozambique 2 6 0 8
Angola 2 4 3 9
Kenya 0 6 13 19
Uganda 0 3 2 5
G. G.