SWIMMING – UP-and-coming young swimmers at the Sports and Arts Academy (SPARTA) at St Christopher’s School, Bahrain are ‘making waves’ both in and out of the water.
Talented, enthusiastic and hard-working, these students of various nationalities, both girls and boys aged between eight and 17 years, take advantage of every opportunity to showcase their limitless potential in the sport, and often come away with numerous accolades at national and regional meets.
Their drive fuels them to reach for the stars – maybe one day even fly their nation’s flag in swimming at the Olympics – and they are constantly building on the strong foundation they have already established for themselves with their families, friends, teammates, and coaches at SPARTA.
“I am very passionate about swimming,” nine-year-old South African Kensi Bowring told the GDN. “I train five times a week and swim at home on weekends for fun.
“I want to swim at the Olympics one day or maybe become a swimming coach.”
Canadian Naomi Ghorayeb, also aged nine, shares a similar target. “I want to be a professional swimmer,” she said. “I started swimming at the age of three; I saw my brothers swim and I wanted to try. I liked it, but not as much as I like it now.”
One of Naomi’s brothers, Raphael, is committed to swimming at a high level for years to come. “I swim for competitive reasons as I want to be able to compete while at university doing my academics, and keep up this lifestyle,” said the 12-year-old.
Swimming helps you learn courage, like if you’re swimming against older kids, and how to be committed – Naomi Ghorayeb
Kensi, Naomi, Raphael and 13-year-old Bahraini Dahlia Naser were all part of the St Christopher’s swim team, nicknamed ‘The Sharks’, who bagged an impressive haul of 14 medals from the GCC-BSME Swimming Championships 2024, held recently in Dubai.
Naomi struck gold in the girls’ 50 metres butterfly, while Kensi came away with a bronze medal in the girls’ 200 metres freestyle.
While competing is a major part of why they swim, the sport has impacted them in other ways as well, and they apply the valuable lessons they have learned from being in the water to their daily lives.
“Swimming helps you learn courage, like if you’re swimming against older kids, and how to be committed,” said Naomi.
“You learn to be resilient and keep going when things get tough,” added 17-year-old English-Bahraini swimmer Yousif Rashed. “A lot of times I’ve felt demotivated and just wanted to quit, but then all of a sudden, through swimming, I’m able to pick things up again and I’m just loving it. It also teaches you to be patient.”
The youngsters highlight that learning how to swim can also help a person keep physically active and help in one’s mobility.
“You may think swimming is hard at first, but it gets easier and it’s fun, and it keeps you fit and healthy,” said Kensi.
“It can help you move your joints easier,” added Yousif. “It reduces your risk of arthritis in the future, so you can do functional movements in both sport and everyday life easier. Also, it helps overall health and it is something you can do from the time you are a baby to when you are older.”
Learning about safety around water is a must in today’s society. It can lead to saving another person’s life, whether it’s from drowning or if they become unconscious in a certain situation – Yousif Rashed
One of the biggest lessons swimming teaches people involves safety when getting into the water, the swimmers highlight, especially since knowing how to swim can help save a life. This is of extra importance during the hot summer months when families more frequently visit swimming pools or the beach, where many unnecessarily lose their life in accidents.
“My parents wanted me to learn how to swim because it could save your life in certain situations; it is very important,” said Dahlia.
Yousif added: “Learning about safety around water is a must in today’s society, especially when around other people who are either unaware of water safety or cannot swim as a whole.
“Knowing these skills can lead to saving another person’s life, whether it’s from drowning or if they become unconscious in a certain situation.”
Yavor Zahariev, head of aquatics at St Christopher’s and a former Bulgarian national team swimmer, is all praise for his team of aspiring swimmers. “They are amazing,” he said. “In competition, they swim at high levels, and shine all the time. They are just phenomenal and we are trying to get them to even higher standards, maybe swim at the continental or world levels, or maybe even at the Olympics in the future.”
Our swimmers are the future, and I give all my heart and soul to them – Yavor Zahariev
Zahariev invites youngsters from all across the kingdom to enroll at SPARTA, which is open to students from any school in Bahrain. He has been instrumental to the development of SPARTA’s swimming section, having drawn up various programmes that cater to children and teenagers of all skill levels.
“I head a team of eight coaches, and we handle a swimming curriculum that includes in-school lessons as well as a learn-to-swim programme which is called SPARTA swimming, which covers an amazing range, from three to four years old with their parents in the water, all the way to competitive swimming,” Zahariev said.
“Swimming is my life,” he added. “I started as a swimmer, was a competitor, and now I coach. Our swimmers are the future, and I give all my heart and soul to them.”
The SPARTA swimming programme follows the framework of the Amateur Swimming Association or Swim England, the governing body of British swimming.
patrick@gdnmedia.bh
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