As the Africa Cup of Nations move closer to the play-off game for the third place (Saturday) and final (Sunday), former AFCON champion and one of Pretoria’s favourite football personalities, Mark Fish, is not focused entirely on football.

The 1996 winner is still making time for his swimming training ahead of this weekend’s aQuellé Midmar Mile.

“Training is going well. I am in San Pedro in the Ivory Coast for the Africa Cup of Nations, so I am training as much and wherever I can. I have a small swimming pool here where I swim in the mornings and walk on the beach and swim in the ocean, so training is what it is,” he explained when asked about his swimming adventures.

Earlier this week the former Bafana Bafana star was still in the Ivory Coast as part of the CAF Technical Study team to analyse the games at the tournament, but he will make sure he is back in time to swim his seventh aQuellé Midmar Mile on Sunday.

”I love coming back to the Midmar because it’s such a fantastic event, well organised, it is an event where everyone takes part no matter the ages, your sizes, the who’s who, we are there to swim and to enjoy the event,” he remarked.

Fish will once again be swimming with his 13-year-old daughter, Isabella – something which makes the event even more special.

“She will be doing her third one. The first year was a little bit nervous for her, the second year she beat her time by 23 minutes, and this year she said she wants to beat 30 minutes, so I must train a little bit harder if I want to keep up to her,” he said.

While Fish is known more for his footballing exploits, having earned 62 caps for Bafana Bafana over a period of 11 years, the defender reckons swimming training is not too far from soccer.

“There are a lot of similarities when you train or focus for an event. The discipline that you need to get up in the morning, do the training that you need to do, and then still carry on and do your day-to-day things. Also staying focused on eating the right things and doing the right things, so yes, it is very similar,” he commented.

While Fish is now an experienced aQuellé Midmar Mile swimmer, having completed his first back in 2017, he had a word of advice to those who might still be deciding whether to attempt their first.

“If you are going to do your first Midmar, it is a fantastic achievement and a fantastic event. The atmosphere, the organisers, everyone around it makes it an event that you put in your calendar and you work hard for each year. So, if this is your first Midmar, wishing you all the best, keep training and see you on Midmar weekend,” Fish concluded.

For more information about the aQuellé Midmar Mile, visit  www.midmarmile.co.za

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