Tokyo tempts talented teen swimmer
If everything falls into place, Manawatu’s Mya Rasmussen could swimming be at the Tokyo Olympics in three years’ time.
A lot needs to happen before then, but the promising Feilding 16-year-old Rasmussen is on the right track, having just been picked to go to the Commonwealth Youth Games in Bahamas in July and she is in the Swimming New Zealand national team.
The national squad is a highperformance team building towards the 2020 Tokyo games.
Rasmussen swims out of Kiwi West Aquatics in Palmerston North and is coached by Andrew Nicholls, who is also the New Zealand coach going to the Bahamas.
She has shown a lot of potential and with the way she is breaking national age-group records she seems destined for higher honours.
Swimming at the Olympics may be a goal, but the humble Rasmussen wasn’t getting ahead of herself.
‘‘It would be cool,’’ she said. ‘‘I just try to focus on the little steps on the way.
‘‘If it comes it comes, if it doesn’t it doesn’t. I’m just focusing on the little ones.’’
She was excited about going to the Youth Games, where she will swim the 400m individual medley, 200m individual medley, 100m breaststroke , 200m breaststroke and the 200m butterfly. Medley is her preferred event. Before she gets to the Bahamas, she wants to build her fitness and speed.
‘‘I’m just focusing on bettering my times, that’s the main goal. I’ll be going over and and hopefully making those times faster.’’
There are 10 other Kiwi swimmers going.
Later this year she will compete at the New Zealand short course championships, then later head to the Queensland championships.
‘‘It was a very big eye opener. I learnt a lot going away there.’’
She also won three medals and reached five finals at the Australia age-group champs last year.
A year 12 student at Palmerston North Girls’ High School, Rasmussen started swimming competitively when she was 9, but has been having lessons since she was 3.
When she was young the family didn’t know much about swimming, but she entered in an event and ended up winning a few medals.
‘‘I just wanted to keep going after that.’’