COMPETING internationally could be very tough, especially coming from a small island with no facility to train in. But for the NMI national swimming team, just being able to go out and represent their Commonwealth is all the boost they need.
Juhn Tenorio, who recently broke two NMI swim records in the 19th FINA World Championships Budapest 2022 in Hungary last week, said he learned to adapt and push through. “It feels great to compete and represent not just my island, but my family and friends as well!” he said.
The 18-year-old believes that the toughest part of competing internationally is not being comfortable because, “it is so different from home.”
Tenorio has broken all his personal best times in all his events, but he is still not satisfied with the results and will continue to work hard.
In the 500-meter backstroke, he clocked a new NMI national record of 28.1, and in the 100-meter backstroke, he recorded a time of 1:00.93, setting a new age group record.
“I compete because it has been my dream since I was a young kid to experience competing with the top swimmers in the world and see how close I can get to them,” he said.
Maria Batallones broke a 25-year-old NMI record of 37.81 in the 13-14 age group with her time of 37.77. “It feels amazing that I was capable of breaking a 25-year-old record! It makes me feel accomplished and motivated to train harder. It also makes me feel excited for my future. I would like to thank my coach and my teammates who are always there supporting me and helping me out.”
For the youngest athlete on the team, the toughest part of the competition “was trying to get used to the distance of the pool, since we do not have an Olympic-size pool back home currently. But I continue to compete in such tough competitions because it is a great opportunity for us. I don’t want to miss out on such great opportunities and chances.”
Taiyo Akimaru believes that the toughest part of competing internationally is not being used to “big races.”
“Racing on our island and racing in a different country can be something that really makes me nervous and makes me worried if I can do my best,” Akimaru said.
But in the 19th FINA World Championships, he broke all of his personal best times in all his events. “Having these kinds of chances to compete in such a big race really makes me want to work harder to improve my swimming! I continue to compete against these tough competitors because these kinds of experiences make me learn new stuff, and allow me to feel how different top level swimmers are. It also makes me want to try to see how far I could go.”
For Jinie Thompson, the pre-race jitters still played a factor. “I believe the toughest part of this event were the nerves leading up to my races,” Thompson said. “I have broken all my personal best times, but I am eager to train harder to improve in these new times.”
She added, “I am proud of my team for making the most of our situation of having to train without a pool the past couple of years, because despite having such tough competition, we are dedicated to our training. By having such tough competition, it personally motivates me to get better and strive to do my best.”
Coach Ally Pourmonir praised the NMI team. “For a coach, international competitions are motivating. It is exciting to see the best, see what they do, and be able to work with swimmers to accomplish the impossible of beating our best times against so many world ranked amazing swimmers.”
“In all I do,” she added, “I enjoy exceeding expectations. Team NMI exceeded expectations for me. They all did very amazing swims with much great coaching from lead Coach Richard [Sikkel] and I. They trained diligently at home, and it really showed.”
Taiyo Akimaru, Coach Richard Sikkel, Maria Batallones, Jinie Thompson and Coach Ally Pourmonir pose with the CNMI flag before heading out to compete in the 19th FINA World Championships in Budapest, Hungary.
