Thursday, June 30th, 2022, marks a historical moment for Anguilla and 17-year-old Alexander Fleming Lake as he represents Anguilla in the prestigious Caribbean Games in Guadeloupe. Alex, as he is affectionately known, will compete in 5 swimming events:
• 50m freestyle
• 50m backstroke
• 50m breaststroke
• 100m freestyle
• 100m breaststroke
Alex grew up in Anguilla, where he was raised by his loving parents, Keesha Fleming and Mitch Lake. His swimming skills were nurtured by Linda Gratton of Anguilla Swims. At the tender age of 3, Linda recognised his potential. As he grew, he became part of her team of assistants, sharing his knowledge with other learners. Today he is proud to represent Anguilla in such a prestigious event. Alex has been preparing for months ahead of the competition. Alex currently resides in the US with his parents, where he is taking advantage of training facilities that are conducive for competitive swimmers.
There are 4 types of swimming in competitive swimming: breaststroke, freestyle, backstroke and butterfly, and two different pool lengths: the 25m small pool and the 50m large pool. The latter is the one that hosts the Olympic competitions every 4 years.
The breaststroke, backstroke and butterfly cover 3 distances: the 50, 100 and 200 meters. In theory, freestyle allows all styles of swimming but, in practice, the front crawl, the fastest stroke, is used. It has 3 additional distances: the 400, the 800 and the 1,500 meters.
Despite all that is happening around him, Alex has expressed enormous gratitude. He thanks and appreciates the AASA, The Anguilla Sports Department, his friends and supporters, especially his mom. She is currently with him as she supports his swimming dreams.
– Press Release
