By Roselyn B. Monroyo
Variety News Staff

SAIPAN Swim Club coach Michael Stewart is hoping that the three NMI swimmers that are to compete in the 12th FINA World Championships will post 100 percent lifetime best swims.
“Aside from the experience they will gain from the meet, I am hoping they will record LTBS in all their events,” Stewart said in a telephone interview yesterday.
Stewart and his young crew, which is composed of Rezne Wong, Cooper Graf and Sarah Johnson, will be leaving for Melbourne, Australia at 8:55 a.m. today.
From Saipan, they will travel to Tokyo, Japan for a connecting flight to Melbourne.
The NMI swimmers will compete in the world championship from Sunday until April 1.
Wong is entered in 10 events, namely the 50m, 100m, 200m and 400m frestyle events, 50m, 100 and 200m breaststroke, 100m butterfly and 200m and 400m individual medley.
Graf will be joining the 50m, 100m, 200m, 800m and 1500m freestyle swims.
Johnson will try her best in the 50m, 100m, 200m and 400m freestyle swims and 50m and 100m backstroke.
“This is a good chance for them to see world-class swimmers,” Stewart.
The meet will feature swimmers who will be competing for gold medals in the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing China.
China has the most entries in Melbourne with 109, while the US sent 96. Australia has 93 and Russia has 89.
This year’s world championship is the biggest in history with 173 participating countries breaking the previous record of 157 nations in 2003 in Barcelona.
Africa and the Americans have 36 countries each participating, Asia has 39, Oceania has 13 and Europe has 49.
A total of 2,195 athletes and 1,455 officials will be in Melbourne for the annual championship.
Last year, Nina Mosley represented SSC and the NMI in the world championships held in Shanghai’s Zhong Forest Sports City in China.