YOUNG athletes seized the spotlight Saturday morning in the 7th Aquathon hosted by the Triathlon Association of the CNMI with Kaithlyn Chavez and Isaiah Aleksenko topping their respective divisions.
In the women’s division, defending champion Kaithlyn Chavez retained her title and surpassed her previous record of 01:07:53 with her best time yet — 00:53:44.
Chavez separated from the rest during the first 2.5K run from the pavilion to the turnaround point across from Char’s Store and back.
Although she believed that “swimming is not my best,” she kept a steady pace in the open water amid rough currents.
As soon as she completed two laps, she pushed through the final 2.5K and remained well ahead of the competition, crossing the finish line with a time of 00:53:44.
Overall, Chavez said the race was “easy,” adding that she participated as part of her preparations for the Pacific Mini Games 2022 this June.
Error
Finishing second in the women’s division was Jinnie Thompson who overtook Lindsay Nash during the swimming portion of the race.
Nash strayed closely behind Chavez in the first leg, but lost sight of the marker during the swim portion which forced her to restart the lap.
That error handed Thompson a chance to take over the second-place spot with a time of 00:58:20 followed by Nash who clocked 00:58:40 for a third-place finish.
Men
In the male division, Isaiah Aleksenko secured the top spot with a strong performance and a finish time of 00:46:25.
Last year, Aleksenko finished second to Shuji Koruda. But this year, Koruda wasn’t participating and it was Aleksenko’s time to shine.
The young swimmer led the first leg with two others shadowing closely behind. He then established his dominance in the swimming portion and earned a comfortable distance, leading to a first-place finish.
Aleksenko said the toughest part of the race was the last run. “The swimming was the best part. I knew that was where I could catch my breath — but running was hard,” he added.
Jakey Deleon Guerrero displayed consistency which led to a second-place finish with a time of 00:46:32. He was followed by another young athlete, Michael Miller, who clocked 00:49:04 to finish third.
Kaithlyn Chavez pushes through for a first-place finish in the female division of TRAC’s 7th Aquathon at the Kilili Pavilion on Saturday morning.
Isaiah Aleksenko takes a breath during the swimming portion of TRAC’s 7th Aquathon on Saturday morning.
