Kunmi Ogunfeibo swimming profile

26 April 2008

 

Black Boys Can Swim! This is a joke that I share with my mum and my brother often. My mum always believed that Black people couldn’t really swim, and she used to say things like ‘if you were meant to swim like a fish, God would have made you a fish’! I am happy that my brother insisted on having proper swimming lessons, because swimming is the last sport that my mum would have put us in. He insisted, and did well, and so I was allowed lessons. I had my first lesson when I was about 5 ½ , and have loved swimming ever since. I joined my swimming club about a year later.

My last 12 months have been great – because of my age, I have only been competing seriously for about 18 months – you can’t until you are 9. I had a few Event Best Times at the Kent County Championships (only 1 still remains, and might go next week!), I broke a Croydon Schools Record (Year 5 freestyle) and won the Open Butterfly event; I am in the finals for the Year 6 freestyle and Open Butterfly next week; I won the Top Boy trophy for my age in my swimming club; I won 4 gold medals at the ISA National championships in Coventry (2 were relays, and 2 individual events) and I have just broken 4 of my school’s swimming records, some that were set by swimmers that I really admire. I have had a fantastic year, thanks to God.

I am often asked what my secret is, and I am too shy to tell. But before a race, I always pray to God that I do my best. Sometimes I don’t do a best time, but most times I do. When I don’t and I know I made silly mistakes I am very angry with myself, but I soon get over it because my friends make me forget.

One thing I struggle with is stamina, but I still race long distances Ok because “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me”, and I keep telling myself this during the races. Unexpectedly, I won the 200m Breaststroke Kent County Championships race again, and it is a really tough race, so the Lord must have strengthened me!

I think I am best at the shorter distances and my best event is the 50m Butterfly, but it is frustrating, because my times here don’t always go down as I expect them to.

I have made some really great friends at swimming, and I love it. The training is hard, I train for around 6 hours a week, and would need to do twice as much to get my national times, but who knows what I will do next year. To all Black boys and girls out there – we can swim, and its fun!