VIDEO: Langley hosts ‘guinea pig’ regional swimming championships

Close to 300 swimmers competed in the Lower Mainland Regional East Championship Swim Meet hosted by the Langley Olympians Swim Club (LOSC) at Walnut Grove Community Centre on Saturday, Feb. 6 and Sunday, Feb. 7.

It was the first time since 2020 that the regional event, one of the biggest hosted by LOSC, has taken place.

It was cancelled last year because of the pandemic, and it returned this year under COVID-19 protocols that limit the number of competitors and require masks and proof of vaccination.

Different age groups were scheduled at different times to avoid overlap and keep numbers down.

LOSC Assistant coach Strasser Sankar described the event as as “a bit of a guinea pig meet for ironing out the kinks” before the club hosts the Langley Olympian LC Invitational long course meet next Saturday Feb. 12.

Sankar said as it turned out, there weren’t any big glitches uncovered, and swimmers were excited by the return to direct competition after a time when most meets were virtual time trials instead than taking opponents in the pool.

“It’s real sport,” is how Sankar summed it up.

READ ALSO: First meet of the new year results in two first place finishes by Langley Olympian swimmers

Sankar rated the performance of the 26 LOSC swimmers who competed at the weekend meet as “excellent.”

READ ALSO: Langley swim team shatters provincial relay record

Sankar became assistant head coach of the LOSC in June of last year, coming fr0m the Pacific Sea Wolves Swim Club in South Surrey.

As a competitive swimmer, he represented Trinidad and Tobago for several years, earning top spots at games throughout the Caribbean and South America.

Full LOSC results:

Yuka Piersic (13yrs, women’s 13-14) won four gold medals over the weekend. She won gold in the 100m breaststroke with a time of 1:22.55, the 50m bBreaststroke with a time of 37.83, the 200m individual medley with a best time of 2:38.94 and in the 200m breaststroke with a time of 2:56.19. She also won silver in the 50m freestyle with a best time of 1:22.55 and bronze in the 200m freestyle with a best time of 2:21.35.

Keith Vermeulen (18yrs, men’s 15 & over) won three gold medals in the 50m backstroke with a best time of 30.35, the 50m Butterfly with a best time of 28.71 and in the 100m backstroke with a best time of 1:06.12. He also won silver medal in the 100m butterfly with a best time of 1:04.63 and a bronze medal in the 50m freestyle with a best time of 27.09.

Timofei Komarov (16yrs, men’s 15 & over) won three gold medals. He won gold in the 100m butterfly with a best time of 1:04.29, the 50m freestyle with a best time of 26.9 and in the 100m freestyle with a time of 58.11. He also won silver in the 50m butterfly with a best time of 28.79.

Brayden Herbert (17 yrs, men’s 15 & over) Won gold in two events. He won gold in the 200m individual medley with a best time of 2:23.76 and in the 400m freestyle with a time of 4:33.40. He also won silver in the 200m backstroke with a best time of 2:25.91 and bronze in the 200m freestyle with a best time of 2:08.15.

Ian Cho (10 yrs, men’s 10 & under) won gold in the 100m freestyle with a best time of 1:21.54. He also won a silver medal in the 200m freestyle with a best time of 2:54.34 and bronze in the 50m butterfly with a time of 49.24.

Kodyn Suen (15yrs, women’s 15 & over) won three silver medal in the 100m butterfly with a best time of 1:09.96, the 50m Butterfly with a best time of 32.08 and the 200m butterfly with a best time of 2:37.69. She also swam 100% best times in all the events she swam this weekend.

Tyler Friesen (16 yrs, men’s 15 & over) won three bronze medals this weekend. He won bronze in the 50m backstroke with a best time of 31.69, the 50m butterfly with a best time of 29.69 and in the 200m backstroke with a time of 2:26.47.

Finn Meyer (15yrs, men’s 15 & over) won a silver medal in the 200m breaststroke with a best time of 2:45.01 and bronze in the 50m breaststroke with a best time of 34.84.

Makayden Suen (15yrs, women’s 15 & over) won a silver medal in the 200m individual medley with a time of 2:37.16 and a bronze medal in the 200m butterfly with a best time of 2:38.16.

Colin Seo (9 yrs, men’s 10 & under) won two bronze medals in the 100m breaststroke with a best time of 1:51.87 and in the 200m individual medley with a best time of 3:27.55. He also swam 100% best times in all his events this weekend.

June Juggiah (15 yrs, women’s 15 & over) won two bronze medals in the 100m breaststroke with a best time of 1:25.94 and in the 50m breaststroke with a time of 38.74.

Kalan Larson (14yrs, women’s 13-14) won a gold medal in the 400m freestyle with a best time of 4:51.86.

Samantha Burwell (14yrs, women’s 13-14) won a gold medal in the 400m individual medley with a time of 5:42.43.

Alyssa Beaulieu (11 yrs, women’s 11-12) won a silver medal in the 100m breaststroke with a best time of 1:30.19.

Swimmer Gui Ernani Dwyer swam 100 per cent best times in all the events he swam this weekend.