Tyla Martin and Kristin Julien have expressed excitement about their participation in the FINA World Junior Swimming Championships, from August 26–31, at the fourth edition, to be held at the Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Sports Complex in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

Martin, who lives in Boca Raton, Florida, started representing T&T in the second year of the 11-12 age-group. There she took Caribbean swimming by storm and won 11 gold medals in the 2010 Carifta Swimming Championships in Kingston, Jamaica. In the process she set eight Carifta and three national records and was the FINA high point winner and most outstanding 11-12 female at the meet.

From there she continued to excel bringing glory to T&T each time she dove into the pool. Fast track to this year and she is still making waves regionally. At the Carifta Swimming Championships earlier this year, she won five gold and two silver, with a national record in the 200 metre butterfly.

Born to a Trinidadian mother, Babette, and an American father, Craig, Martin first showed her mettle to the T&T public at the December 2009 ASATT Invitational. Her mother always wanted her to swim for T&T and through conversation with now World Juniors coach Franz Huggins, and former aquatic director Hayden Newallo, that dream was realised.

The 16-year-old mermaid, who trains with Pine Crest Swim Club in Florida, is bubbling with excitement and is well prepared for competition in Dubai.

“I am feeling excited going into the meet. I have been preparing for months so I am definitely ready to race. My goals for the meet are to go personal bests and make finals. Training was tough. I have trained through all the meets so it feels good to finally be tapering. This meet is by far the biggest meet I have ever qualified and I am thrilled to be competing for T&T at the world junior national level. This is going to be one of the best experiences and I am elated to be a part of it.”

Since August 10, Martin and Julien have been training together at Pine Crest before going off to Dubai on Friday. Julien too is rearing to go after months of preparation for the World Juniors.

Julien has been consistent in representing T&T with an impressive track record since the 11-12 age-group. Born to Wayne and Beverly Julien, Kristin has displayed a series of consistent performances, which has etched her in our national record books.

This native of San Fernando has established national and regional records in the 50m backstroke and 50m butterfly during the course of her career. She has been the ASATT Swimmer of the Year of her respective age-group for the period 2008–2011, and is a member of Titans swim club.

Before this achievement of qualifying for the Junior Championships, her career highlight was being a finalist in the 2011 Commonwealth Youth Games in the Isle of Man. Julien qualified for Worlds in December last year after recovering from an injury which kept out of competition for most of 2012.

The energetic 17-year-old is ready for the Dubai experience.

“Going in to the meet I am more excited than nervous. I am looking to achieve some personal bests in all my events. This meet means a lot to me knowing all the hard training I had in preparation for it and also get a chance to prove wrong all those who thought I could not make it. I have had a lot of support from family, friends and my club, and I am going to swim with all my heart for T&T”.

Martin is scheduled to compete individually in the 50m, 100m, and 200m butterfly, 200m and 400m freestyle.

Julien is entered in the 50m backstroke, butterfly and freestyle events, and the 100m backstroke.

Both girls are expected to swim in the mixed 4x100m medley and freestyle relays. The other athletes on the team are Dylan Carter, Jonathan Ramkissoon and Joshua Romany.

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