Tsunami swimmers set national relay marks at FLAGS

Thunder, lightning, power. 

The three-word phrase has become the rallying cry of the Sarasota Tsunami 13-14 boys relay swimmers, accompanied by superhero-esque flexing that would make Thor jealous. Dimiter Zafirov created it, starting it with Evan Keogh, but like the best inside jokes, he doesn’t remember quite how. It just became a part of the routine. 

The loudest iteration of the chant came at the 2019 Florida Age Group Summer Championships (FLAGS), held July 18-21 in Orlando. If a celebration was ever earned, it was then. For a few days, there was no relay team better — ever. 

The Sarasota Tsunami swim team set two 13-14 division national records. Luis Junqueira, Keogh, Frank Runge and Zafirov combined to set the boys 800-meter freestyle relay record (7:55.79) and Keogh, Zafirov, Junqueira and Liam Heary set the boys 400-yard medley relay record (4:00.78). 

“It was electrifying,” Runge said of the 800 free win. “I have never felt that feeling from anything else before.”

Keogh said the group had its eye on the records for months and intensified its training accordingly. It developed a mindset of refusing to settle, Zafirov said. Because of that, the swimmers expected to take down the records. Watching those expectations become reality, with everyone setting a personal best time, was a thrill ride, Zafirov said.  

Pace was especially important, the swimmers said. Being involved in multiple races, they did not want to tire in the first 50 meters, they said. Knowing when to conserve energy and when to use it was a major factor in setting the records. 

Unfortunately, the celebrations couldn’t last long. Irvine Novaquatics, a California swim team, took back both records at a July 29 meet, hitting 7:54.15 in the 800 freestyle (1.64 seconds faster) and 3:58.40 in the 400 medley (2.38 seconds faster). Neither team faced much competition in the races, and the Tsunami believes it could compete with Irvine in head-to-head races. They won’t get the chance, though. Zafirov and Runge will soon move into the age division. It'll then be two years before they can swim in relays together.

Losing the records doesn’t change what the swimmers accomplished, according to coaches. 

“They created an incentive,” Tsunami assistant coach Lisa Repassy said. “They created a higher standard for our swimmers.”

The team set six other state records at the meet, three in relays. Zafirov, Heary, Junqueira and Luca Simon took the 200-yard freestyle relay (1:42.68). Keogh, Simon, Junqueira and Zafirov set a state record in the 400-yard freestyle relay (3:42.37). Keogh, Heary, Zafirov and Simon won the 200-yard medley relay (1:51.27). 

In individual races, Zafirov set the 200-yard freestyle (1:54.54) and the 100-yard butterfly (56.69) state records, and Sidney Brann set the 11-12 record in the girls 200-yard backstroke (2:25.87). 

The Tsunami also has three swimmers — Arik Katz, Xander Gardner and Ryley Ober — at the 2019 Phillips 66 National Championships with coach Ira Klein. Those championships are held July 31- Aug. 4 in Stanford, Calif.

Sarasota is a relatively young team, having started in 2010 with two swimmers. The team now has more than 250. Zafirov aid it has been surreal watching the team grow into a state and now national threat. The records increased the Tsunami’s profile, and the team’s future could be even brighter.