By James Sablan
[email protected]
Variety News Staff
TSUNAMI Saipan sent a select squad of elite swimmers across the waters to compete in the prestigious Edwin Ching Invitational, marking the club’s first appearance at a Guam swim meet in six years.
Prior to the global pandemic, Tsunami Saipan was a staple of the Marianas swimming community, regularly sending large contingents to Guam twice a year for winter and summer competitions.
This year’s return carried deeper meaning as Tsunami Saipan head coach Hiroyuki Kimura dedicated the trip to his 20-year friendship with legendary Guam swim coach Edwin Ching.
Fresh off the Oceania Championships in Fiji, Kimura was unable to attend in person but entrusted the team to official chaperone Kyoko Guerrero. The three-swimmer delegation did not disappoint, dominating their respective divisions with a string of podium finishes.
Tsunami Saipan’s small but formidable roster proved that the long gap in travel competition has done little to slow Saipan’s swimming pipeline.
Twelve-year-old standout Sera Guerrero of Mount Carmel School delivered a distance showcase, capturing two decisive first-place finishes. She clocked 5:42.25 in the 400m freestyle and 2:35.44 in the 200m freestyle, displaying both endurance and tactical pacing. She capped off her stellar meet with a third-place finish in the 50m freestyle in 33.15 seconds.
Representing Saipan Community School, 12-year-old Gwen Retardo also proved to be a force in the pool. She swept the backstroke events with blistering speed while complementing Guerrero to give Saipan a dominant presence in the division.
Retardo captured first place in the 50m backstroke with a time of 33.32, followed by another victory in the 100m backstroke in 1:18.96. She also secured second place in the 50m freestyle with a time of 32.43, completing a strong one-two punch for Saipan.
Veteran swimmer Kevin Guerrero Jr., 23, led the travel squad with a flawless campaign in the men’s 19-and-over division, competing across three separate disciplines — breaststroke, butterfly, and freestyle.
Guerrero Jr. completed a perfect three-for-three gold-medal performance, winning the 50m breaststroke in 35.17, the 50m butterfly in 29.52, and the 50m freestyle in 27.57.
Governed by World Aquatics competition rules and hosted under the safeguarding guidelines of the Guam Aquatics Federation, the meet brought together many of the region’s top swimmers in a highly structured cardless-timing environment.
While the impressive times stood out on paper, the true victory of the Edwin Ching Invitational was the rekindling of the athletic bridge between Guam and Saipan. With the six-year drought officially broken, Tsunami Saipan’s swimmers once again stood tall among the region’s best.
James Sablan has been a sports reporter for Variety since 2013. He was a liberal arts student of Northern Marianas College and covers all local sports.
