Former Benonian takes part in the Olympics
This artistic swimmer is in awe since being chosen for the Olympics, and couldn’t wait to begin her journey, not only competing herself, but also to see others from around the world perform.
Former Benonian Laura Strugnell (29) is at the Olympics in Tokyo, Japan, representing South Africa in artistic swimming.
The Olympics began on July 23 and will continue until August 8.
“I was part of the team represented at the 2019 Fina World Championships, where we qualified for an Olympic spot,” she said.
“However, that didn’t mean I would be selected as part of the final pair.”
Early last year Strugnell paired up with Clarissa Johnston. They have been training together for the last 18 months.
“In April we won the national championships in both events we entered, which also acted as the Olympics qualifier,” she explained.
“We were then named the Olympic pair when the full SA team was announced for all sports on June 24.”
Strugnell left for Tokyo on July 24 and what a journey it has been so far, with the pandemic still in full force.
“We tested for the virus 96 hours and 48 hours before departing for Tokyo,” she said.
“We are also tested daily in the Olympic Village.”
These two women qualified to represent South Africa for artistic swimming at the Olympics for the first time since South Africa competed at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.
This artistic swimmer is in awe since being chosen for the Olympics.
“I couldn’t wait to begin my journey, not only competing myself, but also to see others from around the world compete. It has been a lifelong dream to go the Olympics and even more special to be the first pair in this sporting code to go for South Africa in 29 years,” she said.
“I am excited to compete and see what scores we can attain. I am also excited to see the performances of other synchronised swimmers.
“We are also hoping to see some gymnastics and track and field events while we are there.”
These two dedicated swimmers are aiming for a score of 70/100, which will be a record for South Africa.
“This will pave the way for future generations to keep building and achieving even higher scores to improve SA’s global rankings,” she concluded.
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