Brandon Schuster, a household name in Samoan swimming, attended his final World Aquatics Competition in anticipation of retiring and assisting the next generation of swimmers.

He created history at the 2019 Pacific Games in Apia when he became the first Samoan to get a gold medal in swimming but the athlete feels he has reached the peak of the sport and wants to give back by going into coaching.

"Swimming competitively is hard work, takes unwavering commitment and must be the main priority in your life,” said Mr. Schuster. “I've come to the stage where it is time to step over the line to assist with development and coaching now. 

"I've moved back to Samoa to begin my bioengineering career and I’m excited to give back to the sport that has given so much to me."

His final events resulted in a competitive ranking within Oceania and landed on top of national record times. A squad of four swimmers had a successful campaign at the World Aquatics LCM Championships in Fukuoka, Japan last month.

Two women and two men took the starting blocks competing against world-class swimmers with their focus on increased World Aquatics points and national record achievements.

This Olympic qualifying event brought together over 200 countries to compete for over five days. Team Samoa competed in the 50-metre and 100-metre sprint events.

Olivia Borg, Samoa's top female swimming sprinter, hit within 4 per cent of her top season times in both the 50-metre and 100-metre Butterfly.

"After the world short course in Melbourne last year, I needed to take some time off from the pool to realign my goals. In doing so, I shifted clubs to the Gold Coast so I could be fully supported as an elite athlete. I'm really happy with my time and the experience in Fukuoka was second to none." 

Borg – who has represented Samoa at major competitions such as the World Champs in Budapest, the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham and World Short Course Melbourne – was recognized as a top 40 finisher at the World Champs for her 100-metre butterfly results.

Freestyle specialist and 2019 Pacific Games relay silver medalist Kaiya Brown also had solid races at the World Championship.

"This was my first LCM World Champs and admittedly it is intense. I am pleased with my results and see where I can improve,” said Brown.

Butterfly specialist, Kokoro Frost, powered down the lanes in his favoured events and shaved time off both his 50-metre and 100-metre events with his sights on further sprint and strength work when he returns home.

The swimmers had access to a world-class power testing program, specifically designed to assist athletes in achieving B qualification times for World Champs and the Olympics.

Coach Schuster reflected on the campaign and noted that the senior team, while small, is a cohesive and committed team of elite athletes.

"This team has regional success on the podium, world experience at major games such as the Commonwealth and World Champs, yet they are humble and eager to grow in every aspect of the sport."

The campaign ended on a high note with the team smashing the 2019 national record for the mixed 4x100m freestyle relay by over 3 seconds. The swimmers have returned to their club programs with their sights on packing their bags for the 2023 Pacific Games in November this year.

When the senior world's campaign came to an end, the competitive youth swimmers for Samoa Swimming joined Team Samoa and attended the Commonwealth Youth Games at Trinidad and Tobago.