The Sunday News
Ngqwele Dube, Sports Correspondent
RISING swimming star, Denilson Cyprianos set the right tone for the 2019-20 season as he again broke the national 100m backstroke record last weekend in Dubai highlighting his lofty intentions at the FINA World Junior Championships scheduled for August.
The Stingrays swimmer who is slowly cementing his moniker as the “King of backstroke” dominated the backstroke events clinching two gold medals and a silver at the annual Hamilton Aquatics Summer Sizzler 2019 in Dubai.
Cyprianos travelled with compatriots, Joash McKonie and Quintin Tayali to the Dubai meet, who also had podium finishes.
The Christian Brothers College pupil lowered his record in the 100m backstroke from 59.72 seconds to 59.01 seconds to clinch gold in Dubai while finishing first again in the 200m backstroke event in two minutes 09.29 seconds.
Cyprianos was second in the 50m backstroke clocking 27.98 seconds behind Joseph Page who came in first in 27.74 seconds while Tayali came in third in 28.88 seconds to clinch bronze.
Tayali also had a podium finish in the 100m butterfly race touching the pad in 59.00 seconds while McKonie was third in 59.31 seconds.
Denilson’s father and coach, Eddie Cyprianos said they were excited by the new record as it is likely to improve the swimmer’s rankings at the World Junior Championships scheduled for Budapest, Hungary in August.
“The times for the 100m and 50m backstroke he made were very good, mind you 71 splits is a very good time and we hope it will enable him to get a higher ranking and be placed in faster heats that will allow him to maybe reach the semis or finals or better his times as that is the ultimate aim to improve on his times,” he said.
Denilson etched his name in the annals of swimming history when he broke an open age record completing the 200m backstroke at the South African National Junior Age Groups in two minutes 08.64 seconds setting a new time in both the 17-year-old and open categories.
The record had been previously held by Brendan Ashby who had swum the distance in two minutes 10.40 seconds 17 years ago.
At the age of 16, Cyprianos ranks among the top swimmers at his age to etch their name into Zimbabwe’s open records, which mark the overall record for all age groups.
