Beula Sanga of the Solomon Islands wrapped up his debut appearance at the World Aquatics Swimming Championships in Singapore with a proud and confident final swim in the Men’s 50m Backstroke. Recording a time of 36.11 and a strong reaction time of 0.64.
As he stepped onto the pool deck ready to give it his all, Beula was full of energy jumping into the pool. “The race felt good for me,” he said. “I feel so confident. I’m glad to compete with other countries.”
Delighted with his performance, he proudly shared, “My time was good. I think last year, the last championship in my country, I hit 39 seconds. Right now I hit 36 seconds!”
Although this was Beula’s first time competing at such a large international meet, he embraced the experience with enthusiasm and looks forward to the future. “This is my first time at a big championship. I feel good. It’s nice for my experience, if I go to another game, I already have the experience.”
Asked if nerves played a part in his performance, Beula responded with a characteristic smile: “No, I didn’t get nervous. In my second race, I don’t feel nervous. I feel confident.”
That composure and self-belief were matched by simple, effective advice from his coach. “Go for it. Don’t think about other countries. Focus on your lane. Try your best.” Beula grinned as he added, “My coach, he was a swimmer. He said, ‘Go, go, go, just go for it.’ Thank you to my coach.”
Among the highlights of the competition for Beula was the moment right before his race. “When you come out on the platform and you feel like: ‘Yeah, I’m going to do it’! I tried my best.”
Now that the racing is done, Beula is looking forward to exploring Singapore for the first time. “This is my first time in Singapore, I must go visit it,” he said with excitement. “It’s nice to see different countries, to experience other weather and other climates. See good places and good people.”
He leaves Singapore with high spirits, valuable international racing experience and pride to share with his home nation. Beula certainly gave it everything and is already looking forward to what comes next.
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Written by The Reporters’ Academy