Saturday 14 December
It was the full team out in force for Samoa’s final day of races at the World Aquatic Swimming Championship in Budapest. With huge spirit shining through the team, they concluded their time in the event on a high.
The day kicked off for Samoa with the women’s 50m freestyle for Kaiya Brown. Kaiya was beaming as she finished her time at the competition “I’m here and I’m happy”. As she described this event, and the importance of maintaining focus she said “nice and quick race, every second counts”. Kaiya demonstrated consistency as she hit the water with an impressive reaction time of 0.72. Swimming strong and focussed she came in with split times of 13.77 and 14.60. As she finished up this individual heat, she was excited for her next event, with the team “I’m pretty excited for it”.
Shortly after this heat, it was time for the men’s 50m freestyle. Hector Langkilde took to the water for Team Samoa. With the full support and encouragement from his team, Hector took on this race with full force and smashed it, breaking the short course national record for his country.This was a huge achievement as short course is not an event Hector does back home, so there will have been techniques that require additional consideration. With these in mind he took on ‘the wall’ in the middle of a long course pool with everything he needed to, his plan…“Go fast at it and push off hard!”.
This powerful approach paid off well, as he secured his national record with a strong finishing time of 22.71, coming second in his heat. Hector entered the pool with a solid reaction time of 0.72 and followed through this start with strong and consistent split times of 11.08 and 11.63. Clearly demonstrating he was prepared to take on this new level of competition, competing with the world’s best. As Hector reflected on this experience of the competition he shared that he was motivated to join the team in this world class event for his Dad, but as he competed and spent time with his team, he enjoyed the whole experience for himself. Being part of the relay team was a stand out memory for Hector and this is how the competition closed for Team Samoa.
Kaiya and Hector were joined by Kokoro Frost and Paige Schendelaar-Kemp to take on the mixed 4x100m medley relay. This is the third mixed relay the team competed in together, in this competition and it was evident the connection between the swimmers was key to their success. With no evidence of fatigue having competed earlier that morning, brimming with excitement Kaiya started off the race strong with an reaction time of 0.66 and completed her 100m in 1:09.92, Kokoro was next up and finishing his 100m at 2:17.88, Paige then took to the water for the third leg, clocking a time of 3:19.79 just before Hector took the competition to its conclusion at 4:09.49.
Taking home a national record for this event in short course, Kokoro shared this highlight of being part of the team “just being with these guys, just being able to swim in their lane with them this whole week”. This international event was Paige’s first time representing Samoa so, delighted with the opportunity she shared “it’s a super special week and I’m glad to have done it with these three. Great week”.
This was Kokoro’s final swim of the competition so with a big smile, he enjoyed sharing how he’s going to reward himself following his final race of the year – “no warm down!” he laughs. As the team’s time in Budapest comes to a close and they look back at their experience with much fondness. It is clear Team Samoa have an incredible bond and this has been infectious in the presence of fellow Pacific islanders. Lanihei Connolly of the Cook Islands reflected with joy that Samoa had been full of energy in the warm up area and this played out for all the islands to be inspired by “Samoa always playing music, so always good vibes, always good times.”
As Team Samoa concluded their time at the World Aquatics Swimming Championships, the strength of their connections shone brightly. The swimmers shared much laughter, encouragement, and a sense of unity that transcended the competitive nature of the event. This week in Budapest was not just about individual races but also about the lasting friendships forged in the pool and beyond. The genuine support they offered each other, together with the celebratory spirit that they shared in their training and competition, made their experience especially memorable. The infectious energy among the team uplifted their spirits and those of fellow Pacific islanders, showcasing the true essence of sportsmanship and togetherness among the Oceania islands.