YOUNG swimmers Isaiah Aleksenko, Asaka Litulumar, Kouki Watanabe, Maria Batallones, Justin Ma and Sari Barman topped their respective divisions in the Triple Crown Open Water Swim Series on Saturday.
Held in the waters off Guma Sakman, the event featured 500m, 1000m and 1500m races.
In the 1500m race, Isaiah Aleksenko rounded the course three times and crossed the finish line with a time of 18:23.1 to claim first place in the men’s division.
In second place was Kean James Pajarillaga with a finish time of 19:12.9 followed by Jakey Deleon Guerrero in third with a time of 21:01.2.
In the women’s division, Asaka Litulumar came in first and was fourth overall with a time of 21:23.9.
Over a minute later, Julia Christine Jinang crossed the finish line to secure second place in the women’s division at 22:40.4 while Ayumi Obligacion settled for third place with a time of 24:27.4.
In the 1000m distance, Kouki Watanabe and Maria Batallones were unmatched as they ruled their respective divisions.
In the men’s division, Watanabe clocked at 14:31.9 beating Andrew Nunez (15:08.5) and Moshe Sikkel (15:09.4).
In the women’s division, Batallones finished first and was second overall with a time of 14:47.7. She was followed by Jessica Ma with a time of 17:28.1 and Michelle Chen who came in third in the women’s division with a time of 17:51.0.
In 500m race, Justin Ma and Sari Barman took the top spots. Ma led the men’s division with a finish time of 07:50.4 while Tomomitsu Aldan came in second at 08:11.5 followed by Richard Zhao with a time of 08:47.4.
In the women’s division, Sari Barman was triumphant and finished second overall with a time of 08:05.9.
Kaya Braxton came in second in the women’s division when she crossed the finish line at 08:33.8 while Nagisa Litulumar finished third at 08:41.4.
It had been over a year and a half since a proper swimming event was held on island, Northern Mariana Islands Swimming Federation president John Hirsh said.
“So we are so pleased with this huge turnout. I would like to thank Saipan Swim Club, Dolphin Swim Club, Tsunami Swim Club and the 500 Sails Masters program for really keeping the energy going. All the hard work and success are due to all the swim clubs. Through dark clouds and bright sunshine, they are keeping their programs going. We are really overjoyed with this huge turnout,” Hirsh added.
Kouki Watanabe approaches the finish line in the 1000m distance race of the Triple Crown Open Water Swim Series on Saturday.
Isaiah Aleksenko gets some air as he heads to the finish line in the 1500m distance race of the Triple Crown Open Water Swim Series on Saturday.
