Cypriot swimming champion Nikolas Antoniou, in an interview with CNA, said that he is going to the Paris Olympics with the aim of doing his best and achieving a good individual time.
The Cypriot champion along with his sister Kalia Antoniou will be at the Olympic Games for the second time. The first was at the Tokyo Olympics. The Antoniou siblings secured their participation in the Olympic Games in Paris, through the “Universality places” from “World Aquatics”.
Nikolas Antoniou spoke to CNA about his journey to Paris and his preparation, which he described as quite difficult, about his goals in the Olympiad but also about the future and said he wants to make Cyprus proud. Together with his sister, he added, they will do everything possible to succeed.
Asked how the road to Paris has been like, Nikolas Antoniou said it started from 2022, saying that “we had a very good season after the Olympic year”.
“Some youth medals came, world and pan-European youth. In 2023 we unfortunately had some injuries, which he
ld us back quite a bit, and after 2023-2024 I started a new season, going to America, with new coaches, everything new, a foreign environment. At first I was not so comfortable. I’m still trying to adapt to America, but in the last two months together with my coach, Stavros Michaelides, I managed to qualify for the Paris Olympics,” he noted.
He said there is no better feeling than going with your sister to the Olympics.
“I am immensely proud that I managed to qualify for the second time with Kalia. I hope we do even better compared to 2021”, he noted.
Regarding his preparation, Antoniou said it has been quite difficult and will continue until the end of the month, because he swims on July 30th.
“We have few issues with swimming pools here in Cyprus. They are a bit too hot, which is normally forbidden, so I have to constantly travel from Limassol to Nicosia, Limassol to Larnaca to find the right pool temperature, it may be 25 metres, it may not be 50 metres,” he noted with Olympic Games swimming pools bein
g 50 metres.
Antoniou also described his first participation in Olympic Games as “exceptionally special”.
Asked what his goals are for Paris and what demands he has from Nikolas, the Cypriot champion said that he goes to Paris with a good individual time.
“My demands are always high, I always try to do my best and I wish to achieve my personal record, which is the most important goal for me this year. Especially this year which has been an extremely difficult year, so if I manage to get down to 49.5 I will be very proud”, he noted.
Commenting on how training and student life are combined, Antoniou said that “it may sound a bit difficult but in America they have combined it in the last few years and they know how it works, they tell you how it works and this was not the hardest thing for me in America, it was more culture, a matter of habit for some things, being away from family, friends.”
As he said, university and swimming was the easiest thing in America.
Regarding his next goals, Ni?olas Antoniou sa
id that after Paris he will travel to Cyprus and then he will return to the US.
“I wish to have a good season at university as well, where the pool is different. It’s short course yards, it’s half the distance we swim in the Olympics, I (have to) adapt to that pool and next year we have the Games of the Small States of Europe, we have world championships. So those two are our goals,” he added.
Asked if he sees in the future participating in the Los Angeles Olympic Games, Nikolas Antoniou said: “Of course, but it’s always too early.”
“First let’s stay at 2024 and see how it will be turn out. Anyway, 2028 is in Los Angeles, I’m in Berkeley, it’s an hour away. I hope everything goes well and we are fine,” he added.
The Cypriot swimmer also sent a message to the younger generation and society saying: “I wish to make you proud. Me and my sister will try to do everything we can for a success for our Cyprus”.
Source: Cyprus News Agency