Raekwon Noel cemented his status as one of the brightest stars of the Central America and Caribbean (CAC) Games on Saturday evening, delivering yet another record-breaking performance to capture his third gold medal for Guyana at the Juan Pablo Duarte Aquatic Center in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.
The Olympian produced the swim of his career in the men’s 200-meter freestyle final, touching the wall in a stunning personal-best time of 1:47.08 minutes to shatter both the CAC Games record and Guyana’s national record while completing an extraordinary golden treble.
His remarkable effort eclipsed the previous CAC Games mark of 1:47.19 minutes, established by Mexico’s Jorge Iga at the 2018 Games in Colombia, while slicing nearly two full seconds off his own national record and entry time of 1:49.04 minutes.
Another dominant display on the biggest stage
Noel’s latest triumph further underscored his dominance in Santo Domingo after earlier victories in the men’s 200-meter individual medley and the 200-meter butterfly, performances that also saw him establish new CAC Games and national records.
His third gold completed an unforgettable campaign that blended consistency, speed, and composure against one of the region’s strongest fields.
Former Games record-holder Iga, who entered the final hoping to defend his mark, settled for the silver medal in 1:47.95 minutes, while Trinidad and Tobago’s Nikoli Blackman secured bronze in 1:49.41 minutes.
Strong heats set the stage for historic finish
The signs of another standout performance were evident earlier in the day during the preliminary rounds.
Noel comfortably won his 200-meter freestyle heat in 1:52.43 minutes, finishing ahead of Venezuela’s Adanuriel Rosalá and Costa Rica’s Alberto Vega to advance confidently to the championship race.
Although his heat-winning swim ranked him second overall heading into the final, Mexico’s Iga posted the fastest qualifying time from the combined heats at 1:52.33 minutes, setting up what proved to be a thrilling showdown for gold.
When it mattered most, however, Noel elevated his performance to another level, producing a breathtaking swim that rewrote both the CAC Games and Guyanese record books.
Rodrigues, Lewis fall short of finals
Elsewhere, Guyana’s Ariel Rodrigues placed third in her heat of the women’s event in 31.40 seconds, while teammate Shareefah Lewis finished fourth in 31.41 seconds.
Despite their competitive efforts, neither swimmer advanced to the finals, bringing their campaigns to an end before the medal races.
caribbeannationalweekly.com
