Swimming: XI Fina World Championships-Shrone Austin and Steven Mangroo off to Montreal Sunday |16 July 2005

Both swimmers warmed up for the championships in their own way. While Mangroo concentrated his efforts locally and participated in last week’s Sacos-sponsored National Championship, Austin decided to go to South Africa.

The 2003 Sportslady of the Year, who has been training and is studying in an all-girls school in her country of birth for the past 10 weeks, competed in the Sasol South African National Winter Championship in the pools of the KZN-Aquatic Kings Park Centre.

She finished with a medal tally of 13 gold, 8 silver and 2 bronze, breaking eight Seychelles national records in the process.
Of the 13 gold medals, 11 came in individual races and the other two in relay events.

Austin’s eight Seychelles national records came in the 100m freestyle (1:01.56, old record: 1:02.67 for Austin in 2003), 200m freestyle (2:12.38, old record: 2:12.88 for Austin in 2003), 50m butterfly (31.24 seconds, old record: 32:66 for Austin in 2003), 100m butterfly (1:09.06, old record: 1:12.94 for Austin in 2003), 200m butterfly (2:28.56, old record: 3:06.12 for Julie Low-Thion in 2001), 100m backstroke (1:14.14, old record: 1:18.27 for Austin in 2003), 200m backstroke (2:38.75, old record: 2:50.00 in 2003) and 200m individual medley (2:28.84, old record: 2:32.15 for Austin in 2003).
Reached by telephone yesterday, Shrone Austin had this to say to Sports Nation:
“I’m back to where I wanted to be. I’ve lost weight and I feel that I’m in the right shape like in 2003 when I won many medals. I wasn’t expecting anything big in the Sasol competition in South Africa but I did very well.”

The 16-year-old is to participate in the 400m freestyle (July 24), 1,500m freestyle (July 25), 200m freestyle (July 26), 800m freestyle (July 29) and 400m individual medley (July 31) in Montreal, while Mangroo will compete in the 400m freestyle (July 24), 200m freestyle (July 25), 800m freestyle (July 26), 100m freestyle (July 27), 50m frestyle (July 29), 1,500m freestyle (July 30).

Coach Jack Fanchette and Seychelles Swimming Association chairperson Hazel Austin will accompany the two swimmers at the World Championships which will take place on five competition sites on Montreal’s Ste-Hélène and Notre-Dame Islands.

Meanwhile, Shrone’s younger sister Shannon also participated in the Sasol competition in South Africa and broke a local record in the under 12 age group. She clocked 1:30.10 in the 100m butterfly to shave 3.09 seconds off Julie Low-Thion’s old time of 1:33.19 set in 1999.

Shannon won three silver and two bronze medals in the competition.

G. G.