Guam’s promising Start in Palau
Guam have a youthful team in Palau with an average age of 18. Nevertheless, the team of five are not to be underestimated. Namely, Amaya Bolliinger, Ocean Campus, Jaden Francis, Israel Poppe and Mia Lee. It was the latter, 17 year old Mia who showed strength beyond her years, by just narrowly missing out on a medal in the 100m Individual Medley finals by under 0.5 seconds. Her time 1:08.04 had her placed 4th, a new personal best beating her own National Record.
The strength that Mia showed in her final is borne out of her preparations as an elite swimmer that few people see. She spoke about her preparation for major championships;
‘Ocean swims, jellyfish stings, pool closures, simply continuing to push through those challenges has been my greatest achievement.”
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Words & interviews: The Reporters’ Academy. Photos: Ryota Nishida