Business sponsors teen swim star
“Nurturing talent is a cause that is close to Flight Centre’s heart. They are our future Olypians."
LOCAL swimming star, Kelly-Ann Brown, dipped her toe into international competitive swimming recently when she was chosen to represent South Africa in the two-day Treviso Swim Cup 2018 alongside Olympic stars, such as Chad le Close and Cameron van der Burgh.
Thirteen-year-old Kelly-Ann has been a competitive swimmer since the age of 10, and her talent was identified by Selma Lessing from Glenwood Preparatory School.
She joined Debbie McLeod at McLeod Swimming (who is now racing under the Seagulls Swimming Club banner) when she was seven for stroke correction, and this is where it all started.
Kelly-Ann now attends St Henry’s Marist College
She still trains for two-and-a-half-hours each day, Monday to Saturday, swimming on average seven to eight kilometres.
The invitation to participate in the Treviso Swim Cup was an amazing opportunity for Kelly-Ann, not only from an athletic perspective, but also from a personal point of view.
“I enjoyed it very much. I loved the hot Italian weather, the food and the holiday resort. Although we trained intensively in the local pool, we still had some time for sight-seeing and even visited Venice on the last day,” she said.
Kelly-Ann hopes she will be able to represent South Africa again internationally soon. “Italy being my first international experience, I over-thought everything and felt the pressure,” she said.
ALSO READ: Swimmers represent SA
Without Flight Centre, Kelly-Ann would not have had the opportunity to travel to this prestigious event. “We only had a week to confirm and pay for this opportunity,” she says, adding that her family would not have been able to afford the trip at such short notice.
“Nurturing talent is a cause that is close to Flight Centre’s heart,” said Nicky Potgieter, Flight Centre Travel Group (FCTG) Leisure Marketing Leader. “An event such as the Treviso Swim Cup is a great opportunity for our talented future stars to perform at an international level. They are our future Olympians!”
Competing at the Olympics is something Kelly-Ann aspires to, but this does not mean she is neglecting her studies. “I would love to become an Olympic Swimmer but I want to study to become an architect.”
Do you want to receive news alerts via WhatsApp? Send us a WhatsApp message (not an sms) with your name and surname to 060 532 5535.
You can also join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
PLEASE NOTE: If you have signed up for our news alerts you need to save the Berea Mail WhatsApp number as a contact to your phone, otherwise you will not receive our alerts
