Local swimmer now aims for 2024 Olympics
An emerging young local swimmer talks about his unique way of processing the pressure of his exercise program, as well as his goals for the future.
Andrew Ross knows how to swing a golf club and he can hold a tune, but it is in the swimming pool he hopes to make it big.
The 19-year old Tuks swimmer is, however, realistic. It might still take a year or two before he can put a challenge to the world’s best swimmers. He talks about “baby steps”.
His immediate goal is to in three weeks try and defend the 200m-backstroke title he won last year during the South African Short Course Championships (25m pool).
Next year he hopes to represent South Africa at the World Student Games. To him, the ultimate would be if he is also in action at the World Short Course Championships. In 2022 he has his sights set on competing at the Commonwealth Games. All these galas are to him “building blocks” as he prepares for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
“I still got a lot of work. In the pool, there is always something new you can ‘fix’ or that you can learn. I certainly need to swim faster times. To do so means I got to improve my start. More important is that I need to work on my back end speed in the 200m-backstroke as well as the 200m-freestyle events. I also need to ‘bulk’ up in the gym,” explained Ross, who last year qualified to represent South Africa at the World Junior Championships.
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