PUHI — Island School sophomore Chloe Inouye set a Kaua‘i Interscholastic Federation swim record Saturday during the first KIF swim meet hosted by Kapa‘a High School at the YMCA pool.
Inouye touched the wall in the girls 100-yard breaststroke with a 1 minute, 05.59 seconds to not only qualify for the state meet, but bettering the KIF championship record of 1:08.68 set in 2012 by Yasmine Ware, who was swimming for Kaua‘i High School.
Because this was just the first of five meets, including the KIF championships, the time is recognized as a KIF pool record. Had this event been the KIF championships, the time would go down as a KIF championships record.
Inouye also qualified for the state meet, one of 16 state-qualifying swims at the meet that marked the resumption of KIF sporting events following a week’s pause to get student-athletes, coaches and staff adjusted to the new state Department of Education guidelines for COVID-19 and its omicron variant.
Saturday’s KIF sporting calendar included paddling that was canceled last week, soccer, and girls and basketball.
In addition to her record-setting individual swim, Inouye was on the Voyagers’ girls 200-yard medley relay team with Kiani Ortiz, Mahina Dameron and Taimana Kjeldsen that touched at 2:00.25 for a state-qualifying swim.
Inouye also qualified for the 50 freestyle with a 24.93 swim, more than two seconds ahead of runner-up Kamaira Silva of Kaua‘i High, who touched at 26.41. She added qualification for the girls 500 freestyle with a 5:18.59 swim to round out her day at the pool.
Kaua‘i High senior Kai Mottley made his first showing of the day as part of the boys 200 medley relay that ran combined with the girls event. Swimming the butterfly segment of the relay, Mottley powered the team ahead of the Kapa‘a High School team as the Red Raider team touched at 1:41.11 for a state-qualifying swim. Kapa‘a, touching second at 1:51.19, also qualified for the state meet.
Mottley went on to add qualifying swims in the 200 individual medley, 100 butterfly (57.16) and 100 backstroke (58.44), and swam the anchor leg for the 400 freestyle relay (3:41.39).
Kapa‘a High senior Tyler Tanaka, whose swim in the breaststroke segment of the 200 medley relay pulled the Warriors ahead of Kaua‘i High School, also added state-qualifying swims in the 100 breaststroke (1:04.25), and swam the anchor leg of the 400 freestyle relay that also qualified for the state meet (3:42.39).
Tanaka also topped the 500 freestyle event on a 5:04.23 time to qualify along with second-place finisher Ian Raquel, who stopped the clock at 5:17.92, nearly three seconds ahead of the state-qualifying time.
Raquel, a Kapa‘a junior, added state times in the 100 freestyle (51.22) as well as being a part of the state-qualifying relay teams.
Kaua‘i High junior Rich Jacob, in addition to being part of the state-qualifying boys relay tesms, added his personal qualifying swim in the 100 backstroke (58.82) by finishing second to Mottley by less than a second.
The next KIF swim meet is scheduled for Saturday at the YMCA pool, starting at 8 a.m.
The K. Mark Takai Hawai‘i High School Athletic Association Swimming & Diving 2022 Championships are scheduled for March 4 and 5, hosted by Kamehameha Schools on Hawai‘i Island.
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Dennis Fujimoto, staff writer and photographer, can be reached at 245-0453 or dfujimoto@thegardenisland.com.
