10-year-old clocks two Western Zone All-Star Championship
Consideration Times
SAN JOSE — More than 1,300 swimmers from the U.S., Canada and Mexico took part one of the biggest and fastest long course Far Western Championships ever last week at Independence High School. Times that were good enough for the top three a year ago didn’t scratch the top eight in some events.
Competing in his first long course Far Westerns, 10-year-old Elijah Urbina of the Morgan Hill Makos had a strong first two days, dropping roughly a second in several of his four events. He improved by more than 10 seconds in the 200-meter individual medley and finished in the top 20. That wasn’t fast enough, however, to make the finals.
Saturday, Urbina’s effort in the 400-meter freestyle shaved more than 14 seconds off his personal-record time, placing him ninth in the preliminaries (first alternate). He advanced to the finals after the eighth-place finisher scratched. Urbina made the most of the opportunity, going out faster than his best 100-meter freestyle time, four seconds quicker than his 200-meter freestyle PR and on to a personal best by more than nine seconds — good enough for fourth place. His mark of five minutes, 11.69 seconds qualified as a Western Zone All-Star Championship Consideration Time and narrowly missed being a National Reportable Time, which are used to establish the nation’s fastest swimmers by age.
Sunday, Urbina’s 100-meter backstroke prelim swim was more than four seconds better than his previous PR and good enough for sixth place in the finals. Once again, his effort in the finals was exceptional. He dropped a second and a half and broke the 1:20 barrier, finishing in 1:19.47, a second WZCT and nearly another PRT. Urbina showed the mettle of a big-meet swimmer, where the stakes are highest.
Christiana Bridges, 13, Gabrielle Smith, 12, Eduardo Hernandez, 12, and Victoria Martini, 10, also represented the Morgan Hill Swim Club. Most had some good swims and kept up with the daunting competition.
Next up for the Makos: a much-awaited vacation.
