By Tiadi Blair
Guyana’s Olympian Niall Roberts and the ever-improving Noelle Smith upon their return from the FINA World Championships in Italy are both hoping to fully recover before heading into the 15th Goodwill Championships slated for August 14-16 in Barbados.
The two who are among 17 swimmers selected by the Guyana Amateur Swimming Association (GASA) acknowledged that the rigours of the World Championship had taken its toll on their bodies and so it is important that they recondition for the upcoming event.
The 18-year-old Roberts described his experience in Italy as an unpleasant one, stating that he had higher expectations regarding the hospitality and expected better environmental conditions during such a major competition.
“I found the outdoor pool to be extremely cold and it took a lot of time to warm up in order to get used to the temperature,” Roberts said.
According to Roberts he envisioned going much faster, particularly in the 50m freestyle in which he had an entry time of 24:90 seconds and finished at 24:95 seconds.
At the start of the competition Roberts found it difficult to adjust to the new swimsuit provided by FINA but as the competition progressed it became less of a problem.
He said despite the hiccups encountered, the competition added further to the wealth of international experience he has accrued over the years.
“I hope that my body catches back itself because the moving from one competition to another can be quite stressful. In Italy I competed in a number of races which took its toll on my body so at the moment I am trying to find my strength,” the swimmer said.
Roberts was not able to attend the championships last year since he was participating in the Summer Olympic Games in Beijing, China.
Smith on the other hand said she was able to better her timings in the pool at the World Championships: “The competition was tough because it was a major meet but I know I put my best foot forward and had planned to go faster which I did so I’m pleased with my performance.”
“I’m going out to better times, bring home some medals and even though I don’t feel as if I’ve fully recovered I will put my best foot forward and make Guyana proud,” she assured.
At last year’s championships Smith won gold in the 50m freestyle race in a time of 30:35s but was two points short of being the 13-14 age group champion.
When the event was hosted here last year, Guyana finished third overall behind Suriname and champions Trinidad and Tobago.
