Atkinson, Evans set national marks in Orlando meet
Arianna Vanderpool-Wallace of the Bahamas again proved why she is the best female sprinter from the region since the reign of Leah Martindale when she took the 50-metre freestyle in Orlando Friday night. Arianna won in a quick 25.55 to turn back the challenge of preliminaries top speed American Keri Kendall, 25.68. The 23-year-old Bahamian is now a professional swimmer with the SwimMac Carolina outfit that has heralded American coach David Marsh at the helm. Marsh has been instrumental in the careers of top international sprinters such as 2008 50-metre freestyle champion from Brazil Cesar Cielo and Caribbean sprint king, Trinidad and Tobago’s George Bovell.
Her training partners now include US 2012 Olympic 50-metre freestyle silver medallist Cullen Jones and many-time Olympic gold medallist American Ryan Lochte.
Her young countrywoman Swift Swimming’s Joanna Evans has enjoyed a rich vein of form over the last couple of seasons and it continued Friday night in the women’s 400-metre freestyle. Refusing to be daunted by a field that included accomplished competitors such as eventual winner US 2012 Olympian Chloe Sutton (4:10.11) and World Cup Iron woman, Hungarian Katinka Hozzsu (4:10.50), Evans swam her own race splitting at the midpoint 2:09.30 and coming with a strong back end of 2:11.49 for a total time of 4:20.69.
She again broke the Bahamian national record, lowering the standard of 4:20.79.
Jamaica’s Alia Atkinson and Laura Sogar of Bluefish battled hard for three of the four laps for top honours in the women’s 200-metre breaststroke, but it would be to no avail.
This as Micah Lawrence of SwimMac Carolina uncorked 36.75 on the last 50 metres to win in 2:25.97. Atkinson was outduelled to the wall by Sogar, 2:28.32, to 2:28.34. But it was Atkinson who reaped the greatest rewards as she broke her national record of 2:28.77 set at the London 2012 Olympics.
Atkinson ended the night’s racing with a silver medal in the 800-metre freestyle relay. She swam the second leg of the South Florida Aquatics that clocked 8:30.02 to finish behind winners York YMCA 8:21.24