Turks & Caicos Local Swimmers Compete Well in the Race for the Conch
Ben Stubenberg and Chloe Zimmerman reported on the 12th annual Race for the Conch Eco-SeaSwim in Turks & Caicos in the Caribbean. “We saw a record number of swimmers, 130, race through the calm, turquoise waters of Grace Bay. While swimmers from the United States have typically dominated the competition, this year local Turks & Caicos Islands swimmers put up stiff competition and won several conch trophies.
In the first 2.4-mile race Male Division, American Joseph Shields and Turks & Caicos swimmer Tajhari Williams swam neck-in-neck nearly the whole distance before Shields edged out the 14-year-old Williams to take first in the Men’s Division in 50:77.
American Alicia Uhl won the 2.4-mile Female Division in a convincing 56:18.
In the 1-mile Male Division, Turks & Caicos swimmer 13-year-old Lenin Hamilton Jr. battled it out with countryman Tajhari Williams, who had just finished the mile, to win 22:20, just 4 seconds ahead. Another Turks & Caicos swimmer, Luke Haywood, came in third to make it a clean sweep for the top three for the locals.
In the 1-mile Female Division, American Taylor Shiffern took first in 25:13 with Turks & Caicos swimmers Sophie Taylor and Angelina Lindenhahn taking second and third respectively.
In the 1/2-mile Male Division Lenin Hamilton Jr. again came in first 12:14, followed by countryman Ethan Gardiner. In the 1/2-mile Female Division, American Celia Wolff won in 13:32 followed by Turks & Caicos swimmer Lenika Hamilton, just 11 years old, with Thais Burgess in third.
The remarkable local showing indicates that Turks & Caicos swimmers are quickly emerging as a serious contenders in open water swimming events. Indeed, the young age of most of the top local finishers means these will be swimmers to look out for in the next few years.”
Overhead photos by Paradise Photography. Others by Agile LeVin / visittci.com.
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