Hector Junior Langkilde has set a new national record in the 50m freestyle event with a personal best time of 23.69 to break the previous record of 24.19 held by Samoa’s local swimming hero and Paciific Games Best Male Athlete, Brandon Schuster.
Langkilde finished 3rd in his heat and 9th overall in the 50m freestyle on the last day of the Commonwealth Youth Games being held this week in Trinidad and Tobago.
Only 8 advance to the finals and Langkilde was first reserve having missed out by milliseconds.
Earlier in the week, the 18 year old from Malaela, Amaile, Saleaaumua and Moataa swam a personal best time of 25.36 for the 50m butterfly to break the previous national record of 25.58 held by Commonwealth Games national swimmer, Thomas Kokoro Frost.
Confirming Samoa’s results from Trinidad and Tobago, National Swimming Coach Suzie Gwizdala-Schuster says Langkilde also swam a personal best in the 100m butterfly.
“He dropped significant time in the 100m fly from his 58.93 seed time, to a final time of 57.85 edging closer to Winter Heavens’ 100m fly 2016 record of 56.63,” says the Head Coach.
Hector Junior Langkilde is one of three new names emerging from the Samoa Swimming team who have been breaking personal bests and setting national records with their performance at the Commonwealth Youth Games 2023.
Samoa’s long-serving National Coach says the last day has been a fast day for Samoa’s trio.
“Solomona Hamilton dropped six seconds in the men’s 200m Individual Medley (IM) approaching closer to the 17-yr-old age record,” says Gwizdala-Schuster.
The National Coach reports that the day before, Hamilton “had also smashed his seed time by six seconds in the 200m backstroke.”
The Canberra-based former Samoa Primary School student who started swimming when his family moved to the Homeland in 2013 had a seed time of 2.21.27 and a final time of 2.15.47.
“He missed the 17-year-old national record by one second,” said Gwizdala-Schuster. “He is happy and pleased with his new time and we discussed areas where his technique can shave time, and edify his aerobic training”.
The National Coach reports that 15-year-old Salani Sa’aga had also closed out the last day with a personal best in the women’s 50m freestyle.”
The day before, Salani set Samoa’s record for the 200m backstroke for 15-year-old female category with a time of 2:29.67.
“She is over the moon and feels confident and focused here at the games,” adds the National Coach.
