Coach Wendy Lee says Sabrina Lyn’s eighth-place finish in the Commonwealth Games women’s 100m breaststroke final at Tollcross swimming centre in Glasgow, Scotland, on Sunday was “mind-boggling”. Lyn swam 1:08.87 in the final after times of 1:09.11 in the first round and 1:08.34 in the semi-finals. She was Jamaica’s first finalist in the swimming events at the Games.
After watching Lyn’s progression throughout the years, Lee said the breakthrough was not unexpected. “This season for sure, my goal for her was to go 1:08.00, and for her to make the semi-finals, it was such a pleasure for her to come home and train and we’ve been training for the last two and a half months together for this goal,” she told the Jamaica Observer. “And the goal was to go faster than last year.
The fact that she surpassed her goal of making the semi-finals and making it to the finals is mind-boggling.” Lee noted that Lyn made her mark at other levels, but emphasised that her latest feat is “a big deal”. Lee added: “She’s cleaned up Carifta, she’s consistently won at every level of Carifta, setting Carifta records, and then moving to the Pan-Am region. And then going to college and really...
And then last year she went to junior Pan-Am and she got a silver medal in the 100m breaststroke with a 1:09.00.” The experienced swimming coach argued that it was not just Lyn who made an impression. She said that when Kito Campbell and Jessica Calderbank reached the semi-finals they also created history, showing that Jamaica’s swimming is headed in the right direction. Kito also made the semi-finals, and Jessica also made the semi-finals.
I don’t think there’s ever been a time when Jamaica has had three swimmers making the semi-finals and going to the second round, much less making a final. I think this is the first time that we have three swimmers who are reaching the semi-finals, [so] Sabrina is just the icing on the cake,” Lee argued. Campbell, who had qualified for the semi-finals in the men’s 100m breaststroke on Friday, was seventh in the semi-finals of the men’s 50m breaststroke on Sunday in 28.26 seconds.
He had placed fifth in the first round with 28.11. Collin McKenzie was eighth in his first-round heat in 29.47. LEE...I think this is the first time that we have three swimmers who are reaching the semi-finals Calderbank placed seventh i…
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