Guyana’s top male and female swimmers Raekwon Noel and Aleka Persaud will take to the pool against elite international competition at the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore from July 27 to August 3.
The two olympians are the only two athletes representing Guyana at the championships which bring together the world’s best in swimming, diving, water polo, and artistic swimming, serving as a major platform for qualification and preparation ahead of upcoming Olympic and continental tournaments.
Persaud, who made history as the country’s youngest Olympian, will feature in the 100m butterfly on July 27 and the 100m freestyle on July 31. The 19-year-old enters the championships following months of dedicated preparation in her homeland and a strong showing at a recent meet in Barbados.
Earlier this year, Persaud set a new national record in the 100m butterfly with a time of 1:04.28, further cementing her status as the country’s leading female swimmer. She also holds Guyanese records in the 50m butterfly and 200m individual medley, and previously represented the nation at both the Tokyo and Paris Olympic Games.
Noel, Guyana’s first male swimmer to qualify directly for the championships, will contest the 100m and 200m butterfly events. His campaign begins on July 29 with the 200m, followed by the 100m butterfly on August 1.
The 20-year-old earned qualification earlier this year at the PanAm Aquatics Championships in Colombia, meeting the ‘B’ standard in the 200m freestyle. He also rewrote the record books with a time of 2:02.52 in the 200m butterfly—surpassing his previous national mark of 2:05.65 set at the 2023 World Championships in Japan.
Noel left Colombia with four gold medals and new national records in the 400m, 800m, and 1500m freestyle events, as well as the 50m and 100m backstroke.
The team in Singapore is being led by national coach Sean Baksh.
