Rio de Janiero – Considered to be the tall dark horse of the South African swimming team, Christopher Reid is not going to the Rio Olympics as a mere tourist.
Since breaking Gerhard Zandberg’s national 100 metres backstroke record at the South African Championships in Durban in April, Reid has been making a few adjustments to ensure his maiden Games is a memorable one.
The US-based swimmer booked his place to the Olympics in style, touching the wall in a new personal best time of 53.12 seconds during the morning heats.
That time launched Reid up the international rankings and has put him in contention for a place in the final at the Olympic Games.
“It gives me a lot of confidence thinking about it. I could potentially be in an Olympic final from fourth as my position is only half a second adrift, which is practically nothing,” Reid said.
While Reid produced an impressive swim in the heats, he swam slower in the semi-finals and the final which would have been somewhat of a concern.
Reid went back to the University of Alabama where he trains under the guidance of former South African swimmer and freestyle world record holder Jonty Skinner, making minor improvements.
“Going to the Olympics, I can’t afford to
mess around, so my strategy is to give it my
best for the three individual races if I make it into the finals and then for the relays,” Reid
said.
“It has been part of my training, I’ve still been doing the speed and power but I’ve also tried to do the endurance part that I lacked a bit.
“I had the strength but I wasn’t used to putting out three big swims like that one after the other. It was an emotional nationals for me and I’ve learned how to deal with that.”
In Durban, Reid dedicated his qualifying swim to the memory of his late father, Darryl, whose dying wish was to see his son compete at the global showpiece.
Qualifying for the Games has already had a positive effect on the tall swimmer as he goes to Rio with the knowledge that he will join an exclusive club of people called Olympians.
“It is a huge confidence booster for me, I know I am on the lead table, and I always had a doubt as to what if,” Reid said.
“I embrace the fact that I am an Olympian, I don’t brag about it, but it has changed who I am.”
Reid knows full well he will have to go sub-53 to book a place into the final while he would have to take almost a second off his personal best to challenge for a medal.
“The times I am swimming now shows a
lot of promise and in the 100m backstroke I
rely heavily on my second 50 metres, and there I’ve matched all the top guys in the world.
“I probably have the top three second
fastest 50s in the world, so that is where my strength is and I’ve been trying to get that speed over the first 50 while also maintaining that second half.
“A lot of my training has been orientated around that and I’ve been practising it in races and it seems to be working.”
– The Sunday Independent