“2022 for me is not about Paris (2024). It is about competing and winning medals.”
Jaded by the extended Olympic cycle for the Tokyo2020 Games, Team TTO’s top swimmer Dylan Carter will adopt a meet-by-meet, year-by-year focus as he gears towards a shortened Olympic cycle ahead of the Paris 2024 Games.
After the Covid-19 delayed Games last July/August, there is enough on the international swimming calendar in 2022 to occupy the 25-year-old’s mind.
The 2021 FINA World Short Course silver medallist in the men’s 50m butterfly will entertain a competition schedule that includes the May 13-29 19th FINA World Long Course Swimming Championships in Fukuoka, Japan; the July 28-August 8 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England; the fourth season of the 2022 International Swimming League and the December 17-22 16th FINA World Short Course Swimming Championships scheduled for Kazan Russia when he believes he will be in great racing shape after a frequent international competition schedule.
Carter has tagged the Commonwealth Games as a special meet that is close to his heart and identified the ISL series as the one that “pays the bills.”
The dates and venues for that is yet to be determined;
“I am not on that long-term focus for Paris 2024. I don’t think it is sustainable or makes sense at all to be focused on an event that is so far away,” the University of Southern California graduate explained.
“I think I need to take things in small steps and focus on the next thing that is ahead of me and that is Worlds Long Course in May. So I have to be in phenomenal shape to be competing at that high level and competing for medals. So I think once I am focused on my best self and winning medals and swimming fast this year, it is going to be good preparation for years down the line but I am not thinking about Paris at all right now.”
After a quiet Christmas season that was punctuated by a week-long stay at a Mayaro rental house with nuclear and close family, the 2018 Commonwealth Games silver medallist resumed his training this week and signalled he would engage in three to four weekly sessions as he gradually and progressively builds back up to full training capacity.
“It (2021) was definitely a long year...it was nice to sort of get off the grid and lay low for a while and just relax so that was really fun...but now (I am) kind of back in it but not back on it fully,” said Carter, adding that he is intentionally slowly getting back into the rhythm of training.
The break also served to rejuvenate him physically and mentally, allowing for some niggling shoulder injuries to receive the appropriate time and care to recover before going full throttle.
Source: https://trinidadexpress.com
