A team of 12-year-old Hyack Swim Club boys finally got their record.
The Hyack relay foursome of Sehajvir Singh, Ethan Laing, Dima Lim and Brian Ni set a new national age group record in the boys' 12-and-under 400 metre medley relay, setting a new Canadian standard of 4: 42.49 at the club's one day Summer Solstice invitational meet at the City Centre Aquatic Complex in Coquitlam on Saturday.
The boys' time eclipsed the old standard of 4: 42.72 set back in 2007.
Last week, the four boys travelled to Kamloops in an attempt to break the existing national records in both the 200m medley and freestyle relays.
They came away with new provincial records in both, missing the national mark in the medley by just two-tenths of a second.
"We had to find a way to do it," said Hyacks assistant head coach Andrew Lennstrom.
With an age window of time ticking down on Ni's 13th birthday approaching, Lennstrom, who has worked with the boys' team for the past couple of years, said, "When are we going to get our chance?"
With the records in mind, the club organized the side trip to Kamloops, where the 200m relays were to be run. A last chance came at their Coquitlam meet in the 400.
"They realized they had a shot at it. It was right there, but these moments don't come around that often," Lennstrom said.
Six years ago, a Hyack relay team was faced with a similar position in the exact same age event.
That group set a then-new club record of 2: 11.2 in the relay, but missed the provincial mark by one-tenth of a second.
Singh, Laing, Lim and Ni experienced the highs and lows again in Kamloops.
"It was pretty exciting," said Lennstrom. "You have your success and then your so-close moment.
"It all fell in the moment to their strengths."
Singh opened with a 1: 13.84 leg in the backstroke, followed by Laing's 1: 13.87 clocking in the breaststroke. Lim brought home the butterfly in a time of 1: 12.85, leaving Ni to finish the final 100m free in a time of 1: 01.93.
"It just fell at the right moment. They have all had success at the short course provincials, and their attendance is quite good," Lennstrom said, adding the boys looked energized following their achievement. "Their morning swim was good."
