NORTHERN MARIANAS’ PRIDE KEEPS GROWING
It’s another proud day for Isaiah Roger Aleksenko, and the nation of Northern Marianas, taking home his fifth gold medal of the games. Isaiah claimed his gold in an impressive 1:58:59 in the 200m Butterfly. Before coming into the Games, Isaiah trained hard and kept his focus on his goal of winning medals.
“My preparation for the Mini Games was good. I trained hard and made sure to try my best for each practice.”
Isaiah keeps his words of wisdom short and sweet.
“Practice a lot, never give up and always stay hydrated and eat”.
Isaiah spoke about his motivation and where his support comes from when competing. He listed God, his teammates, family, coach and all the people cheering for him. He was particularly grateful to his mother saying,
“Honestly, what got me into swimming was my mom, she definitely helped a lot. I did want to quit a lot because as a kid you do not want to go to practices…but I’m grateful that I am a swimmer, it definitely paid off.”
Teammate Kouki Watanabe also competed in the 200m Butterfly Final coming in 4th at 2:17:82. That makes it his 3rd Final of the Games, with only the 5k Open Water on Saturday left.
In the Women’s 200m Butterfly, Maria Yamaguchi Guerrero finished the race at 2:47.83. It was the nation’s first time competing at the female Fly, so Maria has set the first National Record. Maria was proud of making it to the finals. When asked about what she thinks the secrets to success are, she gave a modest and humble answer.
“I don’t really have a secret. Get a lot of sleep and good hydration”
Maria’s final event of the Games is also the 5k Open Water, but the training won’t end there as soon afterwards she will be heading to the Junior World Championships in Romania.
Maria Batallone’s preparation for the Games was tough, but it stood her in good stead as she took 4th in the 1500m Freestyle Final with a time of 19:32:31.
“A tighter schedule was implemented which really challenged my ability in a positive way. Our team really focused on our best strokes which included distance swims and sprints.’
Shoko Suzuki Litulumar also competed alongside Maria finishing at 21:18:21. The 1500m was a challenge for Shoko, especially since it is not her event and it was her first time swimming that length. During the immense race, Shoko took inspiration from renowned Olympic swimmer and record holder Katie Ledecky.
Words & interviews: The Reporters’ Academy. Photos: Ryota Nishida