Breaking records to create history… Raekwon Noel
The challenges that 17-year-old Raekwon Noel faced leading up to his victory in the Caribbean Free Trade Association (CARIFTA) Games and other events were nothing short of a struggle.
Nevertheless, the swimmer made it past every obstacle placed before him and proved that he is indeed a force to be reckoned with, going on to break records and aiming for gold.
Noel’s family brought him back to Guyana after he had migrated, to compete in the trials for the event in Curaçao, and other competitions, only for the Guyana Amateur Swimming Association (GASA) council to debate his eligibility as compared to other local swimmers.
Noel during his time in Guyana, broke many national records, but was st
ill being given a hard time because of his decision to move to another country to train properly.
The swimmer was discouraged after being recognised by several international associations in the United States (where he migrated to train), FINA, a number of Division One NCCA institutions etc, but was never acknowledged by his home country for his record-breaking performances.
Come September, Noel will represent the Indiana Hoosiers University where he attained a full Scholarship to study and swim.
Despite these hurdles, the athlete told the Big Smith News Watch “It’s not a journey that I will forget, it’s a lot of work that I have put into my career to be this far and I can’t wait to see what’s in store in the near future”
At the 2023 CARIFTA Championships that were held in Curacao, Raekwon had an outstanding outing; breaking four of his own national records, and even breaking the 800m freestyle record.
Noel noted that “the aim was to win a medal at the CARIFTA Games, but my entry time was already better than the CARIFTA record, so I set my intentions on the record and I did it by 4 or 5 seconds which is still surreal to me’’.
When asked about the support he received from his family the athlete said it was immense coming from ever member, but attributed his successes mostly through hard work and training at the pool at 5am; opportunities made possible with the support of his grandmother, Dawn Noel, who he labels as his biggest enthusiast.
(By Michael Richmond)
