11 TIMES A WEEK
European Youth Olympic Festival is being held in Gyor(Hungary) from 23th till 30th of July. 12-18 years old athletes from 50 countries are competing in 10 disciplines. The results are to be very rewarding.
Juraj Hraško, a talented Slovakian swimmer, has already participated in 4×100 mixed relay,100 backstroke,400 freestyle and is going to swim 200backstroke,4x100IM relay. About impressions of successful and inspiring personality, his sport journey and eventful athlete’s life you can read in this interview.
-Hello, Juraj! It is nice to meet you here. Could you tell us about yourself, please?
— Hello, it is nice to meet you, too. I am from Bratislava(Slovakia) and am entering the bilingual gymnasium which the main language is English. Except of sport, I enjoy studying biology. My swimming club is «Orca Bratislava». I usually swim 400m, 400 IM,800m, 1500m freestyles and backstrokes 50m, 100m, 200m. The personality of whom I admire is my compatriot Rišo Nagy. I would like to compete in European Junior Championship and World Junior Championship,too and after that I am interested in Olympic Games.
-Wonderful! Who brought you to the swimming pool?
— I was 3 years old when my mother dropped me in a pool. I also started doing gymnastics until I was 6 and at that age I started swimming in a club, so have to choose between swimming and gymnastics. I chose the pool and wasn’t mistaken.
-How many times do you train a week? How does your day begin?
— Well, I train 11 times a week and therefore try to manage my time correctly. My day begins at 5:00am when I wake up, training starts at 5:45 and ends at 7:15. Afterwards I have school, studying, homework.Having a well-adjusted schedule helps me a lot.
-Juraj, you are taking part in the EYOF for the 1 st time. What are your feelings and emotions of this Olympic Festival?
-I was expecting something less stressing and less of chaos at the call room but it’s okay. I am satisfied with food, accommodation, transport facilities. I have also met many interesting people, all of them are friendly and peaceful. Volunteeres are heartwarming and always ready to help. I would like to thank them for their effort. They just make our days with smiles.
-That is awesome! And what would you advise for young swimmers who also dream of participation in the EYOF?
-To train hard and never stop believing in themselves, have a good mood all the way, through all the difficulties they experience on the trainings. I hope, they won’t forget about their dream of being in the EYOF and that is why will work hard to beat their own records and maybe the records of EYOF.
Success and good luck to you, Juraj! We believe that your goals will be achieved!
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