By Sam Borsato - @BorsatoSam on Twitter

Local Olympic Swimmer Recounts Her Overwhelming Experience

Aug 25, 2016 | 5:04 PM

LETHBRIDGE – It was a whirlwind two weeks in Rio De Janeiro for first-time Olympic athlete and local swimmer, Rachel Nicol.
 
The 23-year old arrived a week before the competition, and noted that her first day was nothing short of overwhelming as she took in tons of information and prepared for unusual competition times. But she quickly took to her team, which she said was made up of fairly young athletes like herself.
 
She was then able to throw her focus on her performance, being encouraged by the kind words of wisdom from some of the veteran athletes.
 
Nicol explained in a one-on-one interview with Lethbridge News Now, that this was particularly different from other national events she’s competed in, saying that she consistently needed to “be on the ball”, and there was almost no time to play around with technique.
 
With that in mind, she went on to place 5th in both the women’s 100-meter breast stroke and 4×100-meter medley relay finals, breaking three best times in the whole process.
 
“For finals, I was going in last and there was really nothing to lose! It was a lot more fun than I thought it would be. I really thought that I’d be a lot more nervous and a lot more stressed out about it,” explained Nicol.
 
“There was still that little part of me that’s like, ‘It’s so close to third’. It’s just that competitive side. I couldn’t have asked for more.”
 
She stressed that she couldn’t be more grateful for the support of her fellow competitors, the Canadian team’s support staff, her parents that couldn’t join her there and the outpouring of love from Lethbridge and all across Canada.
 
After the competition phase came to a close, Nicol and other swimming athletes had the next week off. Visiting the Christ the Redeemer statue, and cheering on others in open water swimming, gymnastics and soccer were among some of her favourite highlights.
 
Now that she’s back in Lethbridge, Nicol noted that she’s in somewhat of a limbo period. She graduated from school in December, but plans to continue training with the University of Lethbridge Pronghorns. She’ll also coach younger swimmers with the local swim club, and gradually figure out her next steps in life.