By Roneil Walcott
THREE-TIME Olympian Dylan Carter will be expected to lead the charge for a five-member Trinidad and Tobago team which has been selected for the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore from July 11 to August 3. The swimming events will be held from July 26.
The team was confirmed via a social media post by the Aquatics Sports Association of TT (ASATT) on July 3 and also includes the quartet of Nikoli Blackman, Liam Carrington, Isabella Dieffenthaller and Zuri Ferguson, who debuted at the Paris Olympics last year.
The 29-year-old Carter will compete in the 50-metre and 50m butterfly events. In Budapest, Hungary last December, Carter finished ninth overall in the 50m freestyle at the World Aquatics Championships. Meanwhile, in 100m freestyle, Carter was a scratch for the semis after finishing with the 11th-best time through the preliminary round.
The 20-year-old Blackman, a gold medallist at the 2023 World Junior Swimming Championships in the 50m freestyle, will contest both the 100m and 200m freestyle in Singapore.
Carrington and Ferguson were among TT’s brightest lights at the Carifta Aquatics Championships in April, helping the hosts to 59 medals – the second-best haul in the competition. The 17-year-old Carrington, who copped eight individual medals in the Carifta champs – including four individual records – will be competing in the 100m backstroke.
Meanwhile, the 18-year-old Ferguson is expected to have a busy time in the pool in Singapore as she will contest the 50m, 100m and 200m backstroke events. In April, Ferguson broke Carifta records in the three aforementioned events and will be looking to replicate some measure of success on the world stage as well.
Dieffenthaller, who was a member of the TT team that earned 51 medals at last year’s Central American and Caribbean Swimming Federation Championships, will contest the 100m and 200m freestyle events.
The TT team will be coached by Dexter Browne, with Bertram Blackman serving as team manager.