A COMMUNITY THAT CARES
Olympic Pride
By Verena Ferreira | St. Paul’s School | www.stpauls.br
O
ur student Stephanie Balduccini participated in the Tokyo Olympics being the youngest competitor for Brazil in swimming for 41 years and swam for the Brazilian national teams. In the 4×100 free girls relay, she performed the best time and was asked to stay in Tokyo to compete in another relay that took part, this being the 4×100 medley mixed. We got the opportunity to talk to Stephanie and ask her some questions.
How do you balance school and swimming? If you can find free time, what do you like to do with it? Balancing school and swimming is a lot harder than it seems. I have to swim before and after school and at the end of the week I am absolutely exhausted. It gets really hard when there is an assessment week, as I need to swim and study. I end up studying late at night, and having to wake up early in the morning to swim. When I have free time, I like to spend it with my friends or family, watching movies or going out.
You’re the youngest competitor for Brazil in swimming for ₄₁ years! How was it to engage with the team where the other competitors are much older than you? It was really fun. I have to admit sometimes I missed people my age, but overall it was very fun and I learnt a lot from them!
What are your goals for the future? What other things you hope to achieve, in swimming and also in your academic life? I want to improve my times and my titles in swimming. I want to try and go to another Olympic games. As for academics, I want to do well in my IBs and get into a good university.
What is the best memory of your time in Tokyo? Probably getting there and seeing the amazing foods there were. ◼
Photo by Marcelo Uva on Unsplash. | Foto de Marcelo Uva no Unsp
What skills from your St. Paul’s experience have helped you in your athletic journey so far? I have learnt to deal with pressure a bit more, and not to procrastinate. I’ve also improved my time management completely.
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British Society São Paulo | Fundação Britanica de Beneficência | Spotlight N° 131
