Friday February 24th the sun was shining, and the National Swimming Pool was filled with excited students participating in the 2023 edition of the All-Elementary School Swimming Championship! 150 students participated this year representing Maris Stella, Seventh Day Adventist, Koror, Meyuns, Airai, Aimeliik, Ngardmau, Ngeremlengui, and Ngaraard Elementary Schools. The championship features 25- and 50-meter competitions in the four basic swim strokes (freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, and butterfly), the individual medley (all four strokes) and mixed team relay events. Points are awarded for places 1-10 in each event.
This year’s winners were:
- First place, Maris Stella School – 465 points
- Second place, Seventh Day Adventist School – 414 points
- Third place, Koror Elementary School – 196 points
The following are the best female and male swimmers from each school that participated:
- M.E.S- Hanna Ruluked, and Linzy Allen
- K.E.S- Sierra Chiokai, and Kai Umemoto
- M.S.S- Resse Polycarp, and Logan Lyndon
- S.D.A- Yeonsoo Choi, and Charlie Gibbons
- Airai Elementary- Mally Wilson, and Cal-Cisco Aguon
- Aimeliik Elementary- Kimora Oiterong, and Elton Mangeron
- Ngeremlengui Elementary- Deluisa Deluise, and Luis Remoket
- Ngardmau Elementary- Jailynn Demk, and Granett Esebei
- Ngaraard Elementary- Klikm Abina.
The championship is held each year as the culmination of the ongoing partnership between Palau Swimming and the Ministry of Education to incorporate basic swimming skills into the elementary physical education curriculum. The Ministry of Education working with the various schools organizes learn-to-swim as part of the P.E. program throughout the school year and co-sponsors the championship to encourage students to show off their skills.
Palau Swimming Association and the Palau Ministry of Education congratulate each participating student for doing their best and extend our deepest appreciation to everyone that made this event possible including teachers, principals, parents, and volunteers.
For more information on our upcoming events and activities for Palau Swimming Association please contact us at palauswimming@gmail.com and like our page on Facebook Palau Swimming.