JAMAICAN SWIMMERS WIN SEVEN GOLD AND FOUR SILVER IN FLORIDA

Jamaicans Alia Atkinson, Brad Hamilton and Todd Johnson showed their class when they amassed seven (7) Gold and four (4) silver medals at the Speedo Total Team Wares Winter Championships held in Plantation Florida over the weekend.

Brad Hamilton was the top Gold Medal winner for Jamaica, reaping a total of four. Swimming in the 13-14 age group, Hamilton’s won the 200 yard Freestyle in a fast 1:47.82, 100 yard Butterfly (55.50), 50 yard Freestyle (22.50) and the 100 yard Freestyle (49.22).

Alia Atkinson, who has already qualified for the 2004 Olympic Games, won Gold in the 15-16 year old 50 yard Freestyle (24.24), 100 yard Freestyle (52.54), and the 100 yard Breaststroke (1:04.79). Atkinson was the top medal winner for Jamaica as she also won three (3) Silver medals, swimming 1:52.42 in the 15-16 200 yard Freestyle, 58.17 in the 100 yard Butterfly and 2:20.03 in the 200 yard Breaststroke.

Todd Johnson, presently Jamaica’s best Backstroker, took the Silver in the Senior 100 yard Backstroke in a fast time of 52.88. Johnson placed 5^th in the 200 yard Backstroke swimming 1:58.72.

Seven other National Squad Swimmers, Raine Paulson-Andrews, Ramon Walton, Donovan Todd, Gillian Millwood, Tamari Farquharson, Rohan Johnson and Nekeisha Cain participated in the meet. The local based swimmers all returned to the island last night on the Official Carrier for the National Swim Team, Air Jamaica.

END - John Eyre 371-1229