Thomas Cechini and Marleigh Howes will have the honour of carrying the Bermuda flag at the Carifta Aquatic Championships opening ceremony.

Howes and Cechini are the most experienced members of a five-strong team representing the island in Trinidad & Tobago this weekend, and Cechini is honoured to have been given the responsibility.

“It's an honour to be a flag bearer for Carifta,” he said. “Few people get to represent Bermuda for their sport, so getting the opportunity to represent and bear the flag on an international stage is an honour.”

Cechini is studying at Mercersburg Academy in Pennsylvania and feels he is in good form ahead of the event

“I'm feeling good going into Carifta this year,” he said.

“The team here at Mercersburg Academy switched our pool for long course training far earlier this year, and I've been hitting my pace in practice, so I'm feeling much more prepared.

“I'm looking for personal bests, but more importantly, I'm looking to get into a medal position while representing Bermuda.”

Howes will be busy this weekend and will compete in six individual events between Saturday and Monday and is happy to be returning to the Caribbean

“I’m super excited,” she said. “I competed there in 2023 at the Commonwealth Games and I loved the pool there.

“This is my favourite meet ever and it’s going to be so much fun. Some of my best friends from different countries will be there and you just get to meet so many new people. The atmosphere even in prelims is amazing and there is just so much going on that there is no pressure or stress.”

Howes, 17, studies at Bolles School in Jacksonville, Florida and is a previous gold-medal winner at Carifta. She has high hopes of adding to her collection in the 200 freestyle and 100 butterfly

“They are definitely my best events,” the 17-year-old said. “But this year I feel like there is tough competition. I’m hoping to chill in the prelims, get in the finals and see what I can pull off at night. I’m hopeful of winning a medal in the 200 free and just last weekend I did a PB in the 100 fly, which ranks me fourth, so I may be able to get one there as well.”

Also on the squad is Katherine Wheddon, who recently won junior female athlete of the year at the 43rd Bermuda Sports Awards. She won two silver medals at Carifta last year and her confidence has been given a boost by her recent award win.

“Winning the national junior female athlete of year was an honour for me as a young Bermudian swimmer,” Wheddon said.

“It’s really a great way to go into Carifta and it has definitely boosted my confidence. I hope to represent Bermuda well in the pool these following days. Representing my country as a Bermudian athlete means so much to me and family.”

Wheddon will now be one of the youngest in her age group after moving into the 15-17 age division, but she is hopeful her training at Baylor will help her to be competitive.

“I’ve been training really hard at Baylor with Coach Brooks and Coach Madison as well as my Harbour coaches when I’ve been back on island.

“I’ve aged up into the 15-17 age group this year so I’m just going to trust my training and all the work I’ve put into keeping my mind sharp. I’m working towards improving my times in the 200 free, 400 free, and 100 back, and specifically looking to qualify for some more top overseas meets.

“A medal would be amazing but its also about supporting my team-mates so they can also swim their best.”

Sylvia Lim is the youngest member of the squad and will be competing at her first Carifta Games and she admits that she is both nervous and excited.

“I am incredibly honoured to represent Bermuda at the upcoming Carifta Aquatic Championships,” she said.

“I am super excited to go to Trinidad and compete against such a high level of competition. I just want to swim my best and have a memorable experience. Travelling to a foreign country to swim in an important meet against talented swimmers is really nerve-racking, so I hope this pushes me out of my comfort zone and makes me a better swimmer.”

The final member of the Carifta swimming squad is Connor Hupman, who last year picked up seven individual medals