Seals back for Grand Prix 3

Lautoka’s Seals Swim Club Fiji is preparing for the Nationals Long Course Grand Prix 3 at the National Aquatic Centre in Suva on Saturday, March 14.

The club has several promising swimmers, including Ethan John, who is part of the Fiji Development squad and hopes to represent the country in the future.

Other swimmers to watch are Filipe Tawake, Tamira Chandra and Nellie Gibbons who have been training hard for the event.

The club did not compete in the first two Grand Prix events because it did not have a pool for training at that time.

Club head coach Nina Naivalu said they had been training at the Northern Club since most of them were financial members.

“Seals Swim Club Fiji was deregistered from Fiji Swimming but now we’ve registered again. However, we were not able to get a response from the Northern Club committee,” she said.

“The club later approached Jan Mohammed, a trustee of South Seas Club, for the use of the pool.

"He agreed so with the support of his staff, we worked together to bring the pool up to standard. This allowed our swimmers to resume with their proper training.

"We are thankful to him for opening the pool to us. It is now our official training base.”

Mohammed said his vision was to support the swimming community and help develop champions in the Sugar City.

The South Seas Pool is currently the only 25-metre pool in Lautoka and has filled the gap while the long-awaited aquatic facility at the Botanical Gardens remains unavailable.

Naivalu has encouraged those living in Lautoka to join the club and learn how to swim.

“Swimming is a life skill that can save lives. We offer learn-to-swim classes, and anyone interested in joining and competing is welcome to be part of Seals Swim Club Fiji,” she said.

The Lautoka-based club was established in 2002 when the late Dennis Miller was the president of Fiji Swimming.

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