By Anselma Aimable
Caribbean Net News St Lucia Correspondent
Email: anselma@caribbeannetnews.com

CASTRIES, St Lucia: Antigua will be sending its largest ever swim team to the Sagicor sponsored 17th OECS Swimming Championships to be held in St Lucia from November 7 - 9, 2008. With a total of twenty-two swimmers, the Antigua team hopes to challenge the traditional dominance of the two arch rivals Grenada and St Lucia both of whom will field a full contingent of thirty-four swimmers each.

Grenada comes into these Championships as the odds on favourite having wrested the trophy from St Lucia for the past two years but will have to face the home advantage the St Lucians hold. The local team itself is extremely motivated and confident, with many of its young swimmers ready to perform their best at this regional level.

This year’s competition promises to be keenly contested with the top St Lucian swimmers such as Siona Huxley, Julien Brice, Jean Luc Augier, Runako Daniel, Sarah Georgeos, Eamon Ashworth and Thalia Bergasse all out to dominate their age groups and garner points for St Lucia.

Added to this mix is a small, but powerful Martinique swim team comprising fourteen swimmers who usually provide serious competition to the OECS swimmers.

With home advantage, Team St Lucia will no doubt be swimming all the way to ensure that they give an excellent account of themselves.