The Richmond Rapids sent 35 athletes to last month’s Winter Age Group Championships in Vancouver.
The length of the meet was exhausting, but the club’s contingent raced their hearts out from day one.
On the individual results side, Provincial Age Group’s Joshua Wall won four medals. He captured the 200m breaststroke and added bronze in the 100m breaststroke, 200m butterfly, and 200m IM.
David Maibaum produced six top eight performances, before finally earning a silver medal in the 200m fly, breaking 10-year-old club record in the process.
The club had several swimmers making their debut at the provincial level. Many had qualified at the recent Lower Mainland Regionals in Richmond and they rose to the occasion in the higher tier meet.
Tai Stroud, Charles Chen, Joaquin Villasenor, Grace Cui, and Mia Goula were impressive in their racing intensity and finished the meet with 100 percent best times. Cindy Du and Sophia Raffai, from AGD 2, had a great debuts in the 100 fly, placing fourth and sixth respectively.
Some of the Rapids’ more experienced athletes reached higher provincial standards.
River He, Madeleine Leung, and Chengqui Yang from the Provincial Age Group squad achieved a Tier II Provincial cut for the first time.
Leung and He got it in the 200m fly, and Yang earned his in the 200m back. National Age Group’s Thomas Chen also got his Tier IIs for the first time in the 200m and 100m back events.
In the team events, the Rapids walked away with two silver medals.
The girls 11&U medley team of Rebecca Dong, Elaine Song, Cindy Du, and Sophia Raffai, along with the girls 11&U freestyle team, composed of Angie Pham, Sophia Raffai, Cindy Du, and Elaine Song, did a great job racing themselves to the podium.
