SAVANETA, Aruba (CMC):

Jamaica logged two fine wins through Kendese Nangle and Dominic Walter as it made a decent start at the 2008 CARIFTA Swimming Championship at the Piscina Olimpico Pool on Thursday evening.

Nangle won the 13-14 girls' 50-metre backstroke in a championship record 32.03 and Walter posted a new Jamaica national age-group mark in winning the 15-17 boys' 1500 metres.

Walter stopped the clock at 16 minutes 42.82 seconds and his effort broke the 30-year-old mark of 16:54.90 by the 1984 Olympic finalist Andrew Phillips.

The opening day, though, belonged to ex-champions Trinidad and Tobago, who splashed to seven gold medals with three records.

Anxious to capture the regional title for the first time in four years, T&T shared honours with defending champions French Antilles on the opening day, equally splitting 14 gold medals at the Piscina Olimpico Pool.

The T&T boys' 11-12 age-group star Keegan Boisson was among the record breakers en route to collecting three gold medals. Boisson won the 50-metre backstroke in a meet record 31.16 seconds, defeating his teammate Siona Huxley (32.13). Boisson also captured the 100-metre butterfly in the boys' 11-12 age group in one minute 06.20 seconds.