DURBAN North swimmer, Michael McGlynn is hoping to achieve his dream of representing South Africa at the Olympic Games this month. McGlynn will be competing in the Olympic Marathon Swim Qualifier in Setubal, Portugal where he hopes to qualify for Tokyo.
The marathon which is over a distance of 10km will also see the highest placed athlete in the 10km event (who have not yet qualified) from each of five continents directly qualify for the Tokyo Games.
For the 21-year-old, the road to Portugal hasn’t been the easiest, amidst a global pandemic.
Read also: Durban North triathlete among Olympic, Paralympic athletes to receive vaccine
“Being able to represent South Africa at the Olympics has been a dream of mine since the age of 12 when I was watching the London Olympic Games. The road to get to Portugal hasn’t been the most straightforward. The Covid-19 pandemic which led to the closure of so many pools meant I had to move around a lot with my training.
“There was a stage when I couldn’t train and then when swimming was allowed I had to travel from school pool to school pool just to get my training in. I’m nervously excited ahead of the Setubal race because the stakes are so high but it is a step closer towards achieving my dream. I’m aiming for either a top nine finish or to be the first swimmer from the African continent to cross the finish line which would mean qualification for Tokyo,” he said.
McGlynn also thanked the community for their support after starting a Crowdfunding page recently.
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