JAMAICAN WORLD SHORT COURSE CHAMPS REFLECTIONS,JUSTIN PLASCHKA SETS NEW STANDARDS AT WINDSOR 2016

As we we follow the performances of the 15th edition of the World Short Course Championships in the United Arab Emirates we reflect on the past performances of a former top sprinter Justin Plaschka. Competing at the 13th edition of the meet in Windsor Canada Plaschka lifted the standards of Jamaican sprinting.

University of Notre Dame tribute to Justin Plaschka for setting the Jamaican at the 2016 World Short Course Swim Championships Photo courtesy of und.com

What Plaschka did in Canada was great in terms of Jamaican swimming . In his only ever exposure to a meet at that level in the 25 metre pool he set Jamaican records and best ever placings in all his events except for the 50 scm freestyle. Only the legendary Sion Brinn has swum and performed better in that event.

To show what a year Plaschka had and the quality swimmer he was we must look at his performances in all formats swimming to include short course yards and the long course pool. What he did in Windsor was the exclamation point.

Justin Plaschka Diving off the blocks

At the 2016 NCAA Division I Championships he was the only CARIFTA and CCCAN region swimmer in the 50 yards freestyle . He placed 20th in a then PB of 19.56.

He lead off the Fighting Irish in 43.34 for the 400 yard yard freestyle relay that was 20th in 2:53.72. The 100 yard butterfly saw him 41st in the 47.26. For that season he had gone as fast 43.05 in the 100 yard freestyle and 46.37 in the 100 yard butterfly. All times were at that point in Jamaican history were the fastest the nation had ever produced.

He ended his career with Jamaican best times that still stands at programme records

Justin Plaschka Photo courtesy of Michael Lyn

At the final Caribbean Islands Swimming Championships in The Bahamas he won the 18 and over 50 metre butterfly in a still standing national record of 24.21. That time in the Olympic sized pool will forever remain as the fastest time ever recorded at the inter island competition.

He got also the Silver medal in arguably the best field ever assembled for that competition in a 50 metre freestyle . That pressure and his quality lead him to yet another still standing national record of 22.77.The field included top swimmers from the Central American and Games level to the Olympics.

Team Jamaica from left to right Dominic Walter,Kelsie Campbell,Keanan Dols,Alia Atkinson and Justin Plaschka

His international year ended in Canada with those stellar performances. He will be forever be remembered for the quality performer he was at all levels of competition.

PLASCHKA RECORDS FASTEST TIME BY A JAMAICAN AT THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS, TOPS LIST OF CARIFTA REGION SPRINTERS IN THE 50 FREESTYLE

Justin Plaschka Photo courtesy of Michael Lyn

Jamaica’s fastest ever sprinter Justin Plaschka continues to etch his name further in the nation’s swimming history books. Already the quickest swimmer in short course yards (25 yards), short course metres (25 metres) and the long course pool (50 metres) he continues to solidify his top spot by recording the top time ever done by a Jamaican in all the meets he competes in. That trend started in his first meet, the 2015 CCCAN Championships in Barbados and continued at the 2016 Caribbean Islands Swimming championships in The Bahamas and the 2016 World short Course Swimming Championships in Windsor Canada. The 2017 FINA World Championships in Budapest would just be a continuation of his hot streak.

He stroked his way to a time of 22.93 to place 49^th overall. That performance is the fastest Jamaican time ever done at the World Championships. That bettered the 23.87 set by Brad Hamilton at the 2009 Rome Championships. The swim also marks the first time a Jamaican man has broken into the top 50 since 1994.  Justin also ranks as the fastest CARIFTA swimmer in Budapest and the 4^th fastest amongst CCCAN sprinters

Justin Plaschka Photo courtesy of newsday.com

Draftingthecaribbean spoke to Plaschka today and he gave his impressions on his performance and the Championship overall

“I was a little disappointed to not go a personal best but overall I executed my race strategy pretty well and was happy with that. My start wasn’t great which could have cost me a few tenths but other than that I could not complain. It was just an amazing experience to get to compete at world championships and all the experience it gave me is only going to help me hopefully in my future meets”.

COURTIS, TITUS AND SOBERS THREATEN SENIOR NATIONAL AND AGE GROUP RECORDS ON DAY 3 OF WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

Christopher Courtis Photo courtesy of swimbarbados.com

The 3^rd day of the 13^th World Short Course Swimming Championships in Windsor Canada saw a number of Barbados swimming records threatened by Chris Courtis, Danielle Titus and Alex Sobers.

 

On Thursday Dec 8 Courtis swam 24.94 in the morning heats of the 50 metre backstroke to place 36^th . That swim just missed his senior national record of 24.79 set this Feb. Courtis was also the highest ranked Caribbean swimmer in the event. It also betters the best time by Barbadian man in the event since 2000. The previous best time was 25.71 by Nicky Neckles at the 2002 Moscow Championships.

Danielle Titus 

Danielle Titus also put the senior national record in the 200 metre backstroke record on notice while also just missing the 13-14 age group mark. The senior national mark of 2:21.08 by Lee Ann Rose and the 13-14 age group record of 2:21.18 by Amara Gibbs barely survived. This as Titus touched in a time of 2:22.76 (split time 1:08.99). However it was the best time and placing by a Barbadian woman at these Championships. The previous best was 2:24.22 and 43^rd  by Deandre Small in  2014 in Doha.

Alex Sobers 

Teammate Alex Sobers was just off the 15-17 50 metre freestyle record when he clocked 23.50 for 72^nd . The record stands at 23.32 set Christian Selby in 2014.He beat the best time by a Barbadian in the event since 2000 when he bettered the 24.98 he did in Doha. Sobers is the now best placed Barbadian man in the event .He betters the 80th plac showing by Andrew Jones from the 2006 Championships in China

ALEX SOBERS JUST MISSES SENIOR NATIONAL RECORD IN THE 200 METRE FREESTYLE AT WORLD SHORT COURSE CHAMPS

Alex Sobers Photo courtesy of Barbados Aquatic Centre

The 2^nd day of the 13^th World Short Course Swimming Championships in Windsor Canada saw Alex Sobers of Barbados just missing the senior national and 15-17 record in the 200 metre freestyle.

 

Swimming in the heats of the event on Dec 7 Sobers stopped the clock in a time of 1:49.69 (split time 53.27) . That performance put him just outside of the 2001 record of 1:48.98 by Damian Alleyne. However it was the best time by a Barbadian male swimmer at the World championships since 2000. The previous best  time was by national record holder Damian Alleyne who clocked 1:51.38 at the 2002 Moscow Championships. Speaking after the swim Alex said

“ I felt really good entering the 200 free knowing that I was really close to the national record .I was a little disappointed after the race because I didn’t break the record but I was still pleased that I won my heat and did a best time”.

Teammates Lani Cabrera and McKayla Treasure competed in the heats of the 100 metre freestyle. They had times of 1:00.69 (split time 29.20) and 1:01.12 (split time 29.34).

LAUREN HEW SETS NATIONAL RECORD # 5 AT WORLD SHORT COURSE CHAMPS ON DAY 5

Lauren Hew Photo courtesy of jersey2015results.com

Lauren Hew’s record breaking streak continued on Day 5 of the 13^th World Short Course Swimming Championships in Windsor Canada. On Saturday Dec 10 Hew became the first Cayman Islands woman to go below 27 seconds in the 50 metre freestyle.

 

Lauren set a new mark of 26.49 lowering her own record 27.14 done at the Island Games in July 2015. That swim placed her joint 52^nd with Izzy Joachim of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. It also betters her Cayman Islands top placing and time at the World Championships of 65^th and 27.19 done at the 2014 Doha Championships. After the race Lauren said

“I enjoyed my final race because 50 free isn’t one of my main events but I always have fun with it and just see how fast I can go. It was great to finish with another record and I’m happy that I could be the first to break the 27 second barrier for other Caymanian girls to chase after”.

That swim marked the 5^th senior national record Hew broke at the World Championships. The other standards were set in the 100 and 200 metre freestyle and the 50 and 100 metre backstroke.

Compatriot Alison Jackson came close to lowering her own 13-14 age group record of 27.01.Jackson hit the pads in a time of 27.13 to place 68^th marginally off the mark she set in Feb of this year. Her thoughts afterwards were as follows

“Even though this meet isn’t what I wanted I had a great time watching professional swimmers compete, break world records and experience the competitive atmosphere”.

Countryman Alex McCallum raced in the heats of the 100 metre freestyle. He stopped the clock in a time of 52.20 (split time 24.91). Speaking afterwards Alex said

“I was extremely happy with how I ended my races and my first world championships as a whole. I was able to get best times in every event and it was a good experience seeing old friends and meeting new people”.

Team Cayman Islands

The Cayman Islands contingent ended the Championships with 5 new senior national records , 1 age group record and more than 12 personal bests times recorded.

HEW LOWERS NATIONAL RECORD IN THE 50 METRE BACKSTROKE ON DAY 4 OF WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

Lauren Hew Photo courtesy of caymanreporter.com

On day 4 of the 13^th World Short Course Swimming Championships in Windsor Canada Lauren Hew completed the sprint backstroke record double.

 

Hew had already established anew mark in the 100 metre backstroke by edging Lara Butler’s mark of 1:03.36 to 1:03.35. In the 50 metre event she would lift the standard of swimming from the Cayman Islands by lowering her own personal best and national record of 29.82. In the morning heats Lauren had the 7^th fastest reaction time of 0.56 of the 81 competitors that assisted greatly in producing a time of 28.86 to place 42^nd  .That performance bettered the old record by almost a second .In the process she bettered  her own Cayman Islands best placing and time at the World Championships of 29.82 and  43^rd .Lauren was also the highest placed Caribbean swimmer at the competition. Her performance also moves the Cayman Islands to 4^th fastest English speaking national record in the event as seen in the table below.

 

Rank	Country	Name	Time
1	Jamaica	Alia Atkinson	27.37
2	Bermuda	Kiera Aitken	27.72
3	Bahamas	Alana Dillette	28.36
4	Cayman Islands	Lauren Hew	28.86
5	Trinidad and Tobago	Kristin Julien	28.87

Speaking after her record performance Hew said

“My backstroke start and finish didn’t go how I planned however, I was still happy with my time in the race but I know with fine tuning I could have been faster. 50 back is always a fun race especially in such a nice pool that is deep enough and has the backstroke ledge”.

Alison Jackson in her debut World Short Course Swimming championships was 63^rd in the event in a time of 31.25.  Her thoughts about her swim were as follows

“50 back is always exciting to swim, even though I was only slightly under my personal best I was happy with my time. It wasn’t what I hoping for but it’s still an improvement”.

NATIONAL RECORDS RATTLED BY HEW AND JACKSON ON DAY 3 OF WORLD

Lauren Hew Senior national record holder in the 200 metre freestyle and 100 metre backstroke Photo courtesy of caymansportsbuzz.com

The 3^rd  day of the World short Course Swimming championships on Dec 8 saw two national records threatened by Lauren Hew and Alison Jackson.

In the heats of the 200 metre backstroke in Windsor, Canada Lauren Hew clocked a time of 2:16.59 (split time 1:04.62) to place 30^th. That considerably bettered her performance and Cayman Islands best placing of 2014. At the 2014 Doha Championships Hew had placed 44^th in a time of 2:24.38. She also closed in on the national record of Lara Butler of 2:14.38. That performance had her ranked as the highest placing swimmer from the CARIFTA region. Speaking after the race Hew said

“This is the first time have been under my best short course 200 back time in a while so I was pleased with my time but I know I can have a lot faster second half of the 200 in the future”.

 

Teammate Alison Jackson was even closer to setting a national record in the 13-14 age group in the 100 metre individual medley. She stopped the clock in a time of 1:09.38 (split time 31.79). The 2009 standard of 1:09.06 belonging to Butler barley survived Jackson’s assault. Her thoughts on the race were

“I was very pleased with my swim today, with a 3 second PB in my 100IM”.

Alex McCallum had to pull double duty racing in both the 50 metre freestyle and 50 metre backstroke. In the freestyle he was 95^th in 24.14 and 60^th in the backstroke in 27.48. In talking about his performances Alex said

“I was really happy with my swims today and I feel I am progressing throughout the meet. Considering I only had 40 minutes between my races, to get 2 personal bests was a fantastic result”.

DYLAN CARTER BREAKS NEW GROUND FOR ENGLISH SPEAKING CARIBBEAN WITH 50 METRE BUTERFLY

On Dec 10, 2016 at the 13^th edition of the World Short Course Swimming Championships in Windsor Canada Dylan Carter of Trinidad and Tobago held up his hand to be counted as one of the best swimmers the region has ever  had competing at the World Short Course Swimming Championships.

Dylan Carter 13th World short Course Swimming Championships Windsor Canada Photo courtesy of Gregory Shamus/gettyimages

In setting a new national record of 22.85 in the heats by lowering Joshua McLeod’s 2014 record of 23.08 he also became the fastest swimmer from the English Speaking Caribbean .This as he surpassed the Cayman Islands Brett Fraser’s national mark of 22.95 set at the Doha World Championships in 2014. He would better that regional record in the semi-finals when he lowered the standard to 22.53. By making the final he also would have the best ranking of an English Speaking Caribbean swimmer as the regional best was by Fraser who placed 14^th in 2014.

In the final Dylan placed 7^th in a time of 22.68.That bettered the Caribbean’s best placing in the event. The previous best was 8^th  by Puerto Rican Ricardo Busquets at 2000 World Championships in Athens, Greece.

ALIA ATKINSON WINS HISTORIC GOLD MEDAL IN THE 100 METRE BREASTSTROKE AT WINDSOR WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

Alia Atkinson Photo courtesy of Grace Kennedy Money Services

On Saturday Dec 10, 2016 Alia Atkinson gave herself an early birthday present by winning a historic 100 metre breaststroke Gold medal that brought more pride to Jamaica, the CARIFTA region and the wider Caribbean.

Alia Atkinson Photo courtesy of deepbluemedia/ Giorgio Scala

The 13^th edition of the World Short Course Swimming Championships in Windsor Canada we saw effect of Atkinson’s excellent underwater work at each turn to lead the race from start to finish. She resisted at late charge from eventual Silver medallist American Lilly King to beat her to the wall but the work was already done. She would have the fastest splits for both 50’s of 29.82 and 33.21 to take defend her World title in a time of 1:03.03. Lilly would win the Silver in 1:03.35. Her compatriot Molly Hannis would take the Bronze in 1:03.89.

Alia Atkinson Photo courtesy of deepbluemedia/ Giorgio Scala

The journey to becoming a Double World Champion in the event was not easy and sure. In her foray at these World Championships in 2004 in the United States she finished 19^th .But with hard work and determination she moved her way to the top of her sport which other swimmers from the region can use as inspiration for their goals in the sport. Her journey at the these World Championships are seen below

2016	Windsor	100 metre breaststroke	1:03.03	Gold
2014	Doha	100 metre breaststroke	1:02.36	Gold
2012	Turkey	100 metre breaststroke	1:03.80	Silver
2010	Dubai	100 metre breaststroke	1:06.05	9th
2004	Indianapolis	100 metre breaststroke	1:12.12	19th

Atkinson’s Gold medal was historic for a number of reasons. Firstly she becomes the first woman to defend the 100 metre breaststroke title. She also ties Australian Jade Edmistone as the only woman to win 3 medals in this event at the World Championships. Alia extends her records as the most decorated swimmer from the English speaking Caribbean. Atkinson also is the most decorated female swimmer from the Caribbean. With the win in the 100 metre breaststroke she ties legendary Cuban backstroker Rodolfo Falcón for the most medals at the World short Course Swimming championships with 7.

General Secretary of CCCAN Maureen Croes had the following thoughts about Atkinson’s achievement

“It was the most wonderful feeling seeing Alia race and dominate. Watching that smile on the screen showed such genuine happiness. And then to have (Canadian Olympian) Ryan Cochrane say that Alia is probably the nicest swimmer in the world just made it perfect. It is the story of persistence, incredibly hard work against many odds. Just absolutely wonderful,  and a TRUE role model and example for all of the Caribbean swimmers”.

Happy Birthday Alia Atkinson and Congratulations.

DAY 4 TEAM JAMAICA MORNING HEATS ATKINSON MAKES 100 BREASTSTROKE SEMI FINAL. PLASCHKA BREAKS BUTTERFLY RECORD

The 4^th morning of competition at the 13^th World Short Course swimming Championships saw Alia Atkinson making her way to the semi-finals and Justin Plaschka breaking yet another butterfly record.

Alia Atkinson cruised in to the semi-final stage of the 100 metre breaststroke with a 1:05.27 .That ranked her 3^rd going into the next round. Alia is the defending Champion and World record holder in the event with a time of 1:02.36.

Justin Plaschka Photo courtesy of Michael Lyn

Teammate Justin Plaschka accounted for the 7^th national record to fall at these Championships when he took down the 50 metre butterfly record for the second time .During the heats of the 100 metre butterfly he established the record of 24.29 when he turned at the 50 metre mark with that split. In the heats of the 50 metre butterfly he became the first Jamaican under 24 seconds when he stopped the clock in a time of 23.92.It is also the best placing for a Jamaican swimmer in the event bettering the 56^th spot by Brad Hamilton from the 2004 World Championships in the United States.

Keanan Dols placed 2^nd in heat with a time of 25.58 to place 65^th overall.

The Jamaican team has set a national record each day of the competition in Windsor.