A day with...
Silvio Chiha: Champion of the water
Lebanese sportsman Silvio Chiha has mastered everything from judo to water skiing. But it’s his character and commitment to Lebanon that has made him the champion of a generation. He speaks to LT on his training routine, motivation and favorite destinations around the country
Silvio Chiha certainly knows a thing or two about dedication. At the age of 26, the fresh-faced athlete is already a champion of the Asian waterski world and holds a long list of accolades and titles in everything from wakeboarding to skiing and judo. Between his waterski training sessions in Dubai or Europe, the release of his recent book and film, “Lebanon Through My Eyes,” and his role as an ambassador for drug addiction NGO Oum el Nour, Chiha also ran as Jounieh’s Municipality candidate in the 2016 elections. A tall order you might think by any measure, but for someone who started skiing at the age of two and competing at 14, Chiha knows what it means to put in the hours. “It all started when I was very young and my mum used to encourage me to go and train in all kinds of sports: judo, tennis, football, basketball… everything,” Chiha says. “After a while I realized I had a talent for skiing, water skiing and judo and started competing. Once I started winning it became an addiction.” A multi-talented sportsman, Chiha has topped national and international
competitions, across a wide range of sports, though its waterskiing he’s excelled in. His most recent title was first place in the Asian Water Ski Championship 2015. Though Chiha has been flying the Lebanese flag in the international sports world for many years now, it was his participation in LBC’S prime-time reality TV show “Splash,” where celebrities compete in a pool, that first brought his name to wide public recognition. Since then, he’s become probably the most recognizable face in the Lebanese sports world. But behind the public persona and competition wins, are hours of behind-the-scenes effort. Though waterskiing requires training just twice a day
for 20 minutes, a strict health and fitness regime is essential. “My lifestyle is very difficult, it’s very strict. I pay attention to my food, the way I train and I run a lot,” he says. Mental determination is also key. “I have the kind of character where I don’t give up. I’m always pushing my limits. There is a theory that I believe that when your brain tells you to stop you have 60 percent more to give. I have learned to push myself to those extremes.”
THROUGH HIS EYES
Created and managed by Sportscode and produced by Lebanese photographer and videographer Charbel Bouez, the short film “Lebanon Through My Eyes” was released in the summer of 2015. Filmed around the country, the video highlights some of Lebanon’s lesser-known destinations, showing Chiha on adventures in breathtaking locations everywhere from Anfeh to Chouwane. He is captured elegantly flipping and cutting through the water on a wakeboard, while effortlessly manoeuvring
When your brain tells you to stop you have 60 percent more to give