Team SVG swimmers takes to the water

As big named athletes enter the Commonwealth Village amidst much ceremony, the swimmers of Team St. Vincent and the Grenadines are poised to make history as they take to the pool on Thursday 24 July 2014 with Shne “Izzy” Joachim, breaking the waves in Heat 3 of the Women’s 50 meter Breaststroke.

Joachim, who will be swimming in Heat 3 in Lane 1 will come up against Malaysia (Lane 2), Scotland (Lane 3), Jamaica (Lane 4), Scotland (Lane 5), Isles of Man (Lane 6), Namibia (Lane 7) and Wales (Lane 8).

In Lane 4, Jamaican Alia Atkinson is one of the best swimmers in the World in the Breaststroke events. Alia has won several World Cup events and has been a multiple medalist at the World Championships.

Shne will be the youngest swimmer in the event and she has a serious test against older and more experienced competitors.

In the Men’s 50m Butterfly, in the first of seven heats which comprise three competitors Team SVG has two swimmers – Storm Halbich (Lane 1) and Dillon Gooding (Lane 3) – vying against Ammaar Shabbir Ghadiyali of Tanzania (Lane 2).

Nikolas Sylvester will also face his first Commonwealth challenge in Heat 2 of the Men’s 50 Butterfly, when he swims in Lane 2 against competitors from Rwanda (Lane 1), Ghana (Lane 3), P (Lane 4), Papua New Guinea, Ghana (Lane 5), Grenada (Lane 6) and Uganda (Lane 7).

When these young athletes takes to the water in Glasgow, Scotland they take the weight of a hopeful and expectant nation with them. It is hoped that the weight of that responsibility will motivate them to achieve the stars. We wish them well as they kick off the first of five days of very difficult competition.