National swimmer, Leon Seaton Jr., is one of Guyana’s brightest prospects to qualify for the 2021 Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo.
The youngster, in that regard, has had to endure the recent holiday season away from his family and close friends to possibly realise his dreams.
He’s currently on a five-month FINA scholarship in Florida at the high-performance facility – Azura Florida Aquatics.
“Being away from the family during the Christmas and holiday season is tough…family during that time gets you hyped because you’re accustomed to spending that time with them but now I am making a sacrifice by being away to accomplish a goal…It was a decision that had to be made just so I can accomplish what I dream and set out to do,” the 16-year-old told this publication during a recent interview.
He explained that family and the support they give to dream-chasers is an important ingredient to ensure the process is successful. As such, he has been in sporadic contact with them to keep him grounded.
“I contact them intermittently; of course, I miss my family but the main reason I’m here is to qualify for the Olympics so most of the time I’m focused on the mission. But I do make contact with them. Family comes first.”
Seaton, in commenting on the experience in Florida thus far, noted that the experience has been enriching. He contended that he has made strides but confessed that there is still a lot of work to do in order to achieve that Tokyo qualifying mark.
“It’s been a really nice two months up here and I’m looking forward to the next three months to be even better…” said Seaton.
“To be very honest, I’m still some way off the qualifying margin but from the first meet, there was a huge improvement and we are getting there. We are getting closer to the qualifying times,” he confidently assured.
Since commencing the overseas stint, he has participated in four competitive championships. During the first outing in the 2020 Patriot Aquatics Winter Invite, he clocked five new Personal Best (PB) times to improve his chances of qualifying for the 2021 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan.
Seaton disclosed that the training schedule is quite a rigid one, which begins at five in the morning and lasts throughout the day; it includes several in pool and dryland sessions. The St Roses High school student, who will be writing CSEC later this year, has also been locked into online schooling to adequately prepare himself for that academic challenge.
