Ilya K.
If you’re reading this, your dreams can come true against all odds,
I started out with swimming when I was just at the young age of 4 years old, I didn’t understand it yet but I would make this sport my whole life and train to be the best at it.
My mom and dad were my biggest supporters, always trying new ways to improve my stroke and daily routines. My parents always told me to work hard, which ultimately led me to my goal to make it to the Olympics.
I always watched the greats do it, Michael Phelps, Ryan Lochte, Missy Franklin, I studied how they swam and how their life was in and out of the pool.
Flash forward a couple of years. I am a freshman at ASU being trained by Michael Phelps’ former coach Bob Bowman.
His training methods were brutal but it helped become a fast and strong athlete. It helped with my mindset on how each practice will not always go as planned but it is how you overcome it that makes you a better swimmer.
It was around the end of my freshman year and my Coach, Bob Bowman, that I believed in a lot had left and accepted a Coaching job in Texas. With just months leading up to the Olympics, I was stripped from the coach that helped me become an NCAA champion and school record holder. I didn’t know whether to follow him or stay back and trust the next head coach Herbie Behm.
Just like my parents raised me, I decided that didn’t stop me, choosing to stay and trust my new Coach.
We had adapted a different training plan that I believe ultimately helped me at the Games.
Once we got to Paris for the 2024 Olympic games the racing started. I knew I trained all my life for this and I knew if I just believed, I could do it. Like the famous Nike brand slogan, “Just Do It”. Cliche, I know.
My mindset going in would be that this won’t be too hard and there are people out there doing way harder things. I believe that that kind of simple way of thinking is what got me to my next goal which was to win a medal.
Once I stepped out onto the pool deck, the crowd erupted into cheers, here I was, swimming a final at the Olympic Games. It was an insane feeling that I haven’t felt. By then I had made it my mission to win a medal…
The stadium was huge, so many people were so passionate about swimming, I was so grateful to be there. With each stroke and breath I tried really hard and powered my way through the water. It was the smoothest race of my life, seeing my competitors next to me it looked like I was in the top 3 but it was hard to tell. I just prayed that when I touched the wall I was in.
When I saw that ‘3' next to my name I was so happy, after all my hard work I have done I had beaten the odds that were against me.
By this time I was completely in flow and qualified for my next final. I went into it with the same mindset I had in the previous race and when I took the stage again I knew I really had to give it my all, till the very end of the race. All my opponents were so strong and fast but it didn’t make me lose sight, I was very driven and wanted it a lot more.
I was around 6th at the turn and I put all my strength into the final lap putting my head down into the last 15 meters till I felt my hands pressing hard into the wall with passion.
It all came down to the touch. The thing I had practiced with my new coach Herbie, ultimately is what helped me win my second bronze medal at the Olympics.
It was the greatest feeling in the world because I had just achieved what I wanted to do for a long time. I had fulfilled my goal, despite all uncertainty.
At the end of the day, believe in your dreams, don’t lose sight of your goals, you can achieve them.
Ilya K., Arizona State University
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