Paris, look out!
Sabrina Lyn’s Olympic swimming dream comes true
YOUNG Jamaican swimmer Sabrina Lyn has harboured dreams of representing her country at the Olympic Games since she was very young.
That dream finally came true a few weeks ago when she was selected to compete for Jamaica at this summer’s Olympics in Paris, France.
Lyn, along with Josh Krilew, secured their spots through the universality clause as the fastest female and male swimmers, respectively, in Jamaica.
A student at Louisiana State University in the United States, Lyn is to compete for Jamaica in the women’s 50m freestyle with a personal best of 25.83 seconds.
“I am feeling pretty excited because this is a dream come true for me,” she said. “I am kind of nervous, but it is just a very exciting and happy time for me right now.”
“It took a lot of work for me to get here because I had to make a lot of sacrifices, so I am just delighted that I will be competing in my first Olympic Games for Jamaica,” Lyn added.
The 20-year-old Lyn, a former student of Campion College, currently holds the title of fastest athlete in the Caribbean in the 50m freestyle event. She said she has been diligently training to ensure she is in top shape for the Olympic Games.
“My workload has increased significantly as I have been doing five sessions a week, each lasting two hours — totalling almost 20 hours of swimming per week — plus weights and other things like stretching,” Lyn said.
Regarding her prospects at the Olympic Games, Lyn acknowledged the challenge of winning a medal for Jamaica in Paris but expressed that she has a fearless approach towards her competitors.
“Honestly, I am just going there to achieve my best time and break the national record in the 50 metres freestyle,” Lyn said. “I don’t think reaching the podium will be possible for me this year in my event so I hope to aim for that in the years to come.”
The Olympic Games is scheduled to run from July 26 to August 11.