Day 2 at the Championships saw Kokoro Frost step up to the blocks in the Men’s 100m Backstroke. Kokoro is the holder of 5 National Records and was hoping to put in another good performance at a major championships.
The 22 year-old described how his preparation starts long before he gets on the pool deck.
‘I’ve got it down to a tee. I talk to my coach back home, talk to my family, it goes a massive way in preparing me for the race. And then the last 10 minutes before I go to the ready room I just walk slowly alone with my thoughts. In the Call room there’s some that talk a lot, some that have got their music on. Something I do is just talk to the people next to me because at the end of the day we’re all doing the same race together so why not get to know the person that’s in the lane next to you?’
So, when the heat of battle is on, how much focus is there on the next lanes, as opposed to your own race against the clock?
‘Something my coach always says is to just focus on your own race and that’s what I did. I didn’t really worry that the guys next to me were ahead. I just tried to think about what I’ve been practising and feel that in my race. There are other factors too. For example, the depth of the pool has a massive impact on the speed that you can swim in it, so this pool is really good for that. Also, the crowd as well, they really cheer.’
The indications were promising for the New Zealand based swimmer as he stuck to the plan for the first 50m before turning, putting his head back, and giving his all over the last 50m.
A new personal best time of 1-02.15 just two hundredths of a second inside his last best. An important marginal gain, underlining the importance of preparation and sticking to the plan.
A beaming Kokoro was naturally very happy with the result but was keen to modestly point out the importance of the team dimension on days like these.
‘There are so many people that would love to be in the shoes that we’re in, so we need to showcase how grateful we are to be here, as well as try and grow the sport not only in Samoa and Oceania but around the world. I just love to put my best foot forward for the team. And if I get a PB for myself, that’s awesome, but I always put the team first.’
–Ends–
Written by The Reporters Academy Photos by Andrea Schuster