CONRAD FRANCIS, OLY
Aquatics Instructor & Performance Coach
C
onrad Francis, OLY, or Coach Conrad as the students call him, learned to swim all by himself at the age of 5 in the Indian Ocean. Fifteen years later, he would go on to represent his country, Sri Lanka at the Olympics. His story is an inspiring tale of passion, dedication and discipline. How did you learn how to swim? Actually, it all began back home in Sri Lanka. My introduction to swimming came through my grandparents, particularly on my mom's side. My dad's father wanted me to play cricket for the country. Almost every Saturday and Sunday, they would bring me to the beach by the ocean, and I would simply drift away, despite my young age. So that's how you learned how to swim - in the ocean? I taught myself how to swim and survive. I was around five or six years old. It was always a family affair as we lived close to the beach. We built sandcastles and such. My grandpa would take me out to the reef and leave me there because he used to be a good swimmer. That's how it all started. There were no floaties, nothing! [laugh] And then? I was attending St. Joseph's College at the time. Our school was the first school to have a 50 meter pool. So, my dad used to take me to the pool in the afternoons after school until one day - I must have been 10 by then - the school swim coach stopped me and asked me and my dad if I was interested in swimming for the school. And, next thing I knew, I was training in the pool at 5:15 am. Everyday, I would train at 5AM, then go to school. And I started liking the sport. But, even then, I knew it was all on me to wake up and show up.
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