Two-time Olympian Alexa Persaud has signalled strong early form ahead of the 22nd edition of the World Aquatics Championships, setting a new national record in the 100m butterfly at the recently concluded Barbados Invitational Swim Meet.
Competing in her first official event of the season, Guyana’s top female swimmer clocked 1:04.93 to take gold, shaving nearly a second off her previous national best of 1:05.70.
She also added a bronze medal in the 50m freestyle to cap off a promising return to competition.
Persaud will be at the global event, which runs from July 11 to August 3 in Singapore, alongside fellow Olympian Raekwon Noel.
Noel, who is based in the United States, has also shown fine form in the build-up, capturing four gold medals at the PANAM Aquatics Championships in Colombia earlier this month. He swept the 100m backstroke, 400m freestyle, 100m butterfly, and 200m butterfly — breaking national records in each event.
Both swimmers represented Guyana at the Paris Olympics last summer, with Persaud also having featured at the Tokyo Games in 2021. Persaud rose to prominence across the Caribbean as the youngest Olympian to represent Guyana, making her debut at the Tokyo Games at just 15 years old.
Now aged 19, the nation has watched her develop in the pool, evolving from a promising young talent into a seasoned international competitor. All eyes will be on what she produces in Singapore this summer.
Over 2,500 athletes from 210 national federations are expected to compete across six disciplines at the World Aquatics Championships, though Guyana will feature exclusively in the swimming events.
