JAMAICA’S rising stars will enter today’s final day of the Central American and Caribbean Confederation (CCCAN) Swimming Championships hoping to improve on their medal tally and, by extension, close the five-day event in Barbados on a high.

The Jamaicans, who closed Monday’s third day with 12 medals comprising three gold, three silver and six bronze, were expected to add to that on Tuesday as they were scheduled to contest a number of finals at sports time.

Team Captain Zaneta Alvaranga led the team’s medal charge on Monday, copping two silver medals in the girls’ 15-17 50-metre backstroke and 100m freestyle, respectively.

In the 50m backstroke she stopped the clock in 30.77 seconds, not too far behind Dominican Republic’s Eliz Garrido who won in 30.39s. Bermuda’s Myeisha Sharrieff (30.89s) was third. Another Jamaica, Leanna Wainwright, just missed the podium in 31.08s.

Carolyn Levy Powell placed third in the girls’ 13-14 50m backstroke in 31.83s. The Guatemalan pair of Lucero Mejia (31.22s) and Melissa Diego (31.59s) took the top two spots.

Alvaranga also put up a gallant fight in the 100m freestyle but found Giana Ancona (57.71s) of Mexico in a defiant mood as Isabella Alas (58.57s) of El Salvador was back in third.

Kai Radcliife ensured the Jamaicans ended the day in celebration when he closed for third in the boys’ 11-12 200m breaststroke in 2:43.40.

Earlier, the young sensations were initially slow out the blocks on Saturday’s opening day of the championship in Barbados, copping one gold and a bronze in the 13-14 and 15-17 mixed 4x50m freestyle relays.

The 13-14 team of Noah Barrett, Christanya Shirley, Leah Chin and Benjamin Davis clocked 1:46.07 for second behind Mexico, who stopped the clock in 1:44.91, with Venezuela (1:46.28) in third.

However, the 15-17 quartet of Devaughn Robe, Alvaranga, Sabrina Lyn and Nelson Denny gave the small Jamaican crowd much to cheer about when they stopped the clock in a new national age group record of 1:41.05. They lowered the previous record of 1:43.55 set earlier this year at the Pan Am Aquatics Age Group Championships in Trinidad and Tobago.

Shirley returned to kick things off on Sunday’s second day with a bronze medal performance in the girls’ 13-14 50m butterfly. She clocked 29.37 seconds behind the outstanding Sierrah Broadbelt of Cayman Islands who finished tops in 29.03s, with Mexico’s Blanca Patricia Vazquez Ramirez (29.28s) in second.

The country’s first one-two finish of the meet would come in the girls’ 15-17 event where Alvaranga stormed to victory in a brisk 27.91s, with compatriot Sabrina Lyn (28.45s) finishing on her heels. El Salvador’s Isabella Alas (28.56s) took bronze.

Both Lyn and Alvaranga later teamed up with Wainwright and Morgan Cogle to win the girls’ 15-17 4x100m medley relay in 4:28.81.

Kabiki Thomas added another bronze in the boys’ 13-14 100m breaststroke, as he touched in 1:11.88 behind Abraham Mendez Rodriquez (1:07.77) and Dominic Hilton (1:11.68) of the Cayman Islands.

And Lyn brought the curtains down on the day with another bronze in the girls’ 15-17 100m breaststroke. She clocked 1:14.66 behind Panama’s Emily Santos (1:11.56) and Maria Jose Sanchez Castro (1:14.46).

— Sherdon Cowan