Swimming sensation Azaiah Duzon and his mother shortly after he arrived back home with Team St. Maarten on Monday.
PHILIPSBURG--Still taking in the magnitude of his achievement, young swimming sensation Azaiah Duzon told The Daily Herald on Monday that he could hardly believe he had won St. Maarten’s first-ever OECS swimming gold medal.
“It felt great and was such an honour to win the first gold medal for St. Maarten. I honestly couldn't believe that I had done it,” he said.
When he realised he had finished first, his excitement took over. “I was so excited, I couldn't believe it, I just looked and saw first place and I just slammed into the water with excitement,” Duzon recalled.
Duzon captured gold in the boys’ 11–12 50-metre breaststroke in 32.27 seconds on Saturday, November 7, at the 34th edition of the regional OECS Swimming Championships in Saint Lucia, giving St. Maarten a historic achievement in the sport. He also secured silver medals in the 100-metre breaststroke, 50-metre butterfly and 50-metre freestyle.
The victory has brought him recognition at home, with some already describing him as a swimming star. He said he was happy to receive that recognition but remained humble about the achievement. “I remain humble about my achievement and am just grateful to have had this chance to win this medal,” he said.
The gold medal was the result of preparation, training and attention to technique. Duzon said he worked on improving his swimming techniques and trained three times a week in the gym, in addition to spending many days training in the pool. He also paid attention to his diet, making sure he ate plenty of protein and the right carbohydrates to fuel his body for training and competition.
Although he trained for all his events, he said making technical adjustments and listening to his coach were particularly important in improving his performance. “I trained for all my events, but making technical adjustments and following my coach's instructions was one of the best things I could do to improve my performance,” he said.
He said he was proud of himself and his teammates and hopes their performances will bring greater recognition to swimming in St. Maarten. “I hope that winning these medals will bring more recognition to swimming in St. Maarten and encourage more young people to get involved in the sport. I also hope that we will have more opportunities to compete in international competitions,” he said.
Duzon is already looking towards his next challenges. His immediate goal is to prepare for the CARIFTA Aquatics Championships in Trinidad next year. He knows the competition will become tougher as he moves into a stronger group of swimmers, but he is determined to give it his best. “My next goal is to prepare for the CARIFTA aquatics in Trinidad next year. It's going to be hard because I step up into a stronger set of swimmers, but I ready to give it my all,” he said.
He also hopes to qualify for the Pan American Short Course Championships in Chile, where he wants to represent St. Maarten.
His advice to other young swimmers who dream of achieving similar success is to take the sport seriously, remain committed and enjoy the journey.
“My advice would be to work hard, train hard, take swimming seriously and always give it your best. Respect the hard work of others, but most importantly, find a balance and have fun with swimming,” he said.
While celebrating his personal achievement, Duzon also has a clear wish for the future of swimming on the island: he would like St. Maarten to have its own swimming pool.
He believes an eight-lane pool would make a major difference for the sport and says greater community support and sponsorship are also needed.
“I would really love to see St. Maarten have its own swimming pool. We need more community support and sponsors, not only with money but also by coming out and showing their support at our swimming competitions. Having an eight-lane pool would make a big difference,” he said.
His experience in Saint Lucia also gave him the opportunity to meet athletes from other countries and an Olympian. He enjoyed those encounters and hopes St. Maarten will one day be able to welcome international athletes to compete on the island.
“I had so much fun meeting and talking with athletes from other countries in St. Lucia and meeting an Olympian. It would be wonderful to have those athletes come to St. Maarten one day to compete with us,” he said.
For now, Duzon can look back on a milestone achievement: becoming the first swimmer to win an OECS gold medal for St. Maarten. But his ambitions extend beyond that historic moment. With CARIFTA and the possibility of competing at the Pan American Short Course Championships ahead, he is determined to keep improving and to help bring greater attention to swimming at home.
