A five-man team from PNG Swimming departed last week for the Doha Swimming World Championship in Qatar, Middle East. The championships started yesterday, with World Champ's debutant Thomas Chen competing in the 100m Breaststroke on Sunday, February 11th, 2024. The competition will conclude on February 18th, a week of swimming frenzies.
According to Team PNG Swimming President Elizabeth Wells, three swimmers, including Chen, will compete in this championship. They are Georgia-Leigh Vele and Josh Tarere, who have joined them from Thailand. Travelling with the three swimmers to form the five-man team are Coach Rick Van Der Zant and Team Manager Carly Pini.
“The athletes competing in Doha are Josh Tarere, who is under a World Aquatics 12-month scholarship at the Thanyapura Sport Centre in Phuket, Thailand, and Georgia-Leigh Vele and Thomas Chen,” said Elizabeth Wells.
"The competition starts on February 11th, with Thomas swimming in the 100 Breaststroke event," Wells said.
While debutant Chen took to the water for the trio's first event in the 100m Breaststroke, Vele is set to make her splash on Wednesday in the women's 100m Freestyle and her 50m Freestyle on Saturday. Tarere will also be competing in the same disciplines in the men's division. Chen will now look towards his second heat in the men's 100m Butterfly on Friday. Each swimmer is set to have two heats.
Their schedules are as follows;
Thomas Chen:
100m Breaststroke - Sunday, February 11th, 2024
100m Butterfly - Friday, February 16th, 2024
Josh Tarere:
100 Freestyle - Wednesday, February 14th, 2024
50 Freestyle - Friday, February 16th, 2024
Georgia-Leigh Vele:
100 Freestyle - Thursday, February 15th, 2024
50 Freestyle - Saturday, February 17th, 2024
The trio is set to compete against some of the world's top swimmers and record holders, such as the men's 100m Breaststroke 2023 Fukuoka World Champ China's Quin Ayang and 2022 Budapest Champion Italy's Nicolo Martinenghi. In the women's lanes where Vele will compete, there are Aussie's Mollie Grace O'Callaghan and Hong Kong's Siobhán Bernadette Haughey.
Photo credit: PNG Swimming Facebook page
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