世界上最大的岛是什么岛

SINGAPORE – For Phillip Kinono, the ocean is more than a picturesque backdrop – it is his playground, where his love for swimming began.

Growing up in the Marshall Islands, a territory of 29 coral atolls and five single coral islands scattered across the Pacific Ocean, Kinono was surrounded by endless blue.

With only one swimming pool in the entire territory – a modest 25-yard saltwater facility in a military base, a 20-minute ferry ride away from his home – the ocean became his training ground.

That early connection with water eventually set him on a path to the world stage. Now 27, Kinono is representing the Marshall Islands at the World Aquatics Championships (WCH) in Singapore, and doing so alone.

“I started back in high school – we are surrounded by the ocean, so I’ve had a love of swimming since I was a kid,” said Kinono, who placed 105th out of 116 men in the 50m freestyle in 27.90 seconds.

“The journey has been incredible. I had no idea that swimming could take you around the world and I’m pretty grateful.”

While the 181 sq km Marshall Islands laid the foundation for Kinono’s swimming career, he left home for the United States about six years ago in pursuit of faster times.

That meant being apart from his family, particularly his mother, with whom he shares a deep bond.

He has had to overcome other challenges. At nine, Kinono was hit by a car, resulting in the amputation of two toes.

Yet this did not hinder his ability in the pool and Kinono is now a two-time Olympian after competing at the Tokyo and Paris Games as part of Marshall Islands’ delegations of two and four athletes respectively.

Though supported by fellow Oceania athletes, he dreams of a larger Marshallese presence at future championships.

Kinono’s story echoes those of other solo representatives at the WCH, each bearing the flag and hopes of their country or territory. The July 11-Aug 3 meet features over 2,500 athletes from 206 countries and territories competing across six disciplines.

With no 50m pool in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Kennice Aphenie Greene trains mainly in a short-course 25m pool on the Eastern Caribbean island, which makes the preparation for long-course meets such as the WCH challenging.

But the Paris Olympian remains grateful for the chance to represent her country, citing that as a source of motivation.

“For competitions like world long-course championships, it is not easy to train short-course and then have to compete long-course,” said the 18-year-old, who finished 60th and 57th in the 50m free and 50m butterfly respectively.

“But there are a lot of people watching, supporting me. I just want to do my best to make them proud.”

For Dominica’s Jasmine Schofield, her inspiration began at home. Her mother Francilia Agar, who competed at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, is the Caribbean island’s first female swimmer at the quadrennial Games.

Though born in the US, Schofield, who took part in the 50m (ranked 78th) and 100m free (71th) events in Singapore, embraces her Dominican heritage.

In 2024, the 19-year-old followed in her mother’s footsteps, making her Olympic bow at the Paris Games, where her compatriot Thea LaFond won a historic gold medal for Dominica in the triple jump.

Inspired by LaFond’s feat, the teenager also hopes that her swimming exploits can help to grow the sport in the country. Dominica currently lacks proper facilities such as a pool for elite swimmers to train in, hence many end up having to go overseas to progress.

Schofield currently trains in Antibes, France, through the World Aquatics scholarship programme, and she noted that athletes from under-represented nations have formed a tight-knit community.

She said: “Last year was my first time living away from family. I left one family, met a whole new one... Everybody just supports everybody. It is so nice.”

Bermuda’s Jack Harvey understands that solitude, as he is the only swimmer representing the archipelago of 181?islands.

Thankful for his support system, he also noted that there are merits and downsides to competing alone.

He said: “I think the biggest thing (difficulty) is when it’s just you, it’s hard to wind down after a bad swim or if something bad happens.

“When you’re here with a team, you can rely on your teammates, you’ll joke around with them, have a chat, eat, talk it over, kind of relax. When you’re alone, it sometimes gets in your head a little bit more.”

With Bermuda’s population at about 64,000, one challenge that Harvey and his older sister Emma faced early in their swimming journey was a lack of competitors at meets.

Testing their skills against their Caribbean rivals at the Carifta Aquatics Championships made them hungry for more, with the siblings making their Olympic debut in 2024.

Both swimmers competed in the US collegiate system, but Harvey, 22, has since returned to Bermuda to continue as a competitive swimmer while mentoring younger athletes. In Singapore, he participated in the 50m, 100m and 200m backstroke, placing 40th, 37th and 32nd respectively.

He said: “(I want to show that) even if you come from somewhere small, you can still do great things. I try to coach and give back as much as I can. It definitely keeps me motivated.”