Find below the interview with this young Lebanese champion that is mainly focused on her training in the US and the changing that occurred after a year spent in there.
You already spent one year living and training in the US, can you tell us how was it?
Sara Khatib and her teammates
I knew my move would not be easy, and in so many ways it was not. The stress of leaving everything behind me, the emotional ups and downs of leaving my family, my home, my friends, my school and my teammates was very hard at the beginning. But what I did not know is that I would soon find amazing friends and teammates, I found people that immediately made me feel welcomed, loved and in no way away from home.
As for training, it’s a whole new experience. My training in Lebanon got me where I am now and for that I am very grateful, it taught me the essence and my love for swimming. However training here taught me much more than just swimming, it opened my vision inside and outside the pool, it showed me what swimming can do for me as a person.
How have you managed your time between your studies and training?
Time management is the most important aspect in any athlete life. I take advantage of every minute I am awake. My day starts usually around 4:15 AM, there are so many things to cover during the day, but I have learned to focus on the more important things like training, studying and socializing whenever possible. I have to admit that the academic system here supports athletes more and understand the hard work that is required from us on daily basis.
What is different between training in Lebanon and in the States?
I don’t know where to start stating the differences between training in Lebanon and in the US. There are major differences, but most importantly is the building of character and the mind setting training for each swimmer.
Goals are set differently here, I train with top swimmers, swimmers that are ranked in the top 10 for their age category in the US, swimmers that have achieved US Olympic trials, swimmers that are so good but still accept that their chances of going to the Olympics is minimum, things are not taken for granted here.
I have learned and seen the importance of being so punctual, to give my best but at the same time to enjoy what I am doing. Training here is structured in terms of events, meets and championships. Every thing is scheduled way ahead, and there are so many meets around the year that I have raced in one year more than I have raced in my entire life, actually I would race in one meet more than what I would race in a whole year in Lebanon.
Do you think that you improved since then?
I had my ups and downs this year, however I was able to achieve some very good results during my yard swimming. My attitude towards swimming improved, I know exactly what I want at this stage in my swimming and I strive on reaching it. The many meets I participated in and the experiences I got out of them have also taught me a lot, and this is something we are majorly missing in Lebanon.
What is it like to train with people better than you or in your level?
It is an honor to be training with my teammates, I learn a lot from them. I came from a background where I thought I am among the best; you get shocked how behind we are, and how good others are.
Training with people that are stronger than you motivate you and raise the bar of every training session. I am so lucky to have my teammates around me for support and guidance in so many ways that are new to me. I rely on my teammates to get better, they push me forward, they support me and they believe in me.
What do you expect from training abroad?
Ever since my arrival to the US my expectations changed. Surly, I still aim to swim my best and to improve my times. I still aim to participate in major meets and to be the best swimmer I could possibly be. But I also expect to get a different experience, to interact with a bigger number of swimmers, to participate in as many meets as possible, to learn from the best and to be a well-rounded overall swimmer and student.
What were your results during this past year?
Early November 2014, I was qualified to participate at the State High School Championship, I was able to rank 4th in the 500 yard freestyle. In Region Once Championship I was able to drop major times and got 2nd also in the 500 yards freestyle.
My best came while swimming the Sr. State Championship meet in March 2015 where I was able to rank:
- 1st in the 500 yard free with a time of 5.01.11,
- 1st in the 1000 yard free with a time of 10.15.51, and
- 3rd in 1650 yard free with a time of 17.19.33
Throughout the year I was also qualified to swim at major meets such as MIT, Junior National Cup in Florida and the Futures Championships in North Carolina.
What are your future plans and goals?
My plans have not really changed, most important is to improve my times and to compete as much as possible, qualify to as many possible meets in the US and abroad (mind you some of the US meets have harder qualifying times than any other international championships).
My future plans have not changed, but my goals and my attitude towards swimming have.
The post Sara KHATIB: “My goals and my attitude towards swimming have changed” appeared first on Sports 961.