Elite Swimmer, Leon Seaton Jr, of the Silver Shark Aquatic Swim Club is scheduled to leave Guyana within a week, on a FINA scholarship to the USA where he will begin to prepare for upcoming swim competitions.
According to a Press Release from the Guyana Amateur Swim Association (GASA), Seaton Jr was selected because he has maintained his top ranking and has the potential to meet qualifying times. The GASA said Seaton Jr has the capacity to represent Guyana at upcoming world championships and other local and international competitions.
Seaton Jr will begin his training at the Azura Aquatics facility in Florida, USA where he is no stranger, having already completed a stint at the facility on an earlier FINA scholarship. During his first stint, Seaton produced a personal best (PB) of 24.84 in the 50m freestyle sprint at the South American Swim Championship in Argentina and took part in a number of competitions around the world.
The elite swimmer narrowly missed out on several major competitions in 2021 due to technicalities and a very slim margin of times, however, he is now focusing on mentally and physically preparing himself for upcoming competitions.
Seaton J had this to say when asked about how he is now preparing for his stint at the facility, “I have had time to reflect on my strengths and weaknesses and I now know where I need to put in the most work. Swimming is what I love to do and this time around I’m taking the constructive criticisms, the disappointments and in particular the positive words of my mentors, Coach Sean Baksh and my family as fuel to my fire. I intend to make myself, family, sponsors and especially all Guyanese local and in the Diaspora very proud”.
The elite swimmer started swimming at the age of four years old and first gained international exposure at the GOODWILL Games which were held in Guyana in 2012, when the young lad was only eight (8) years old.
