Lyn flying the flag for ‘defeated’ teammates

Paris, France:

WHEN NATIONAL swimmer Sabrina Lyn competes in her first Olympics Games, it will not only be a seminal moment for her, but she will also be carrying the hopes and wishes of national teammates Emily McDonald and Jessica Calderbank.

Lyn will be competing in the 50-metre freestyle on August 3, having qualified through the universality route, beating McDonald and Calderbank in a difficult battle for the only women’s spot available.

While she is buoyed by her own success, she knows that she is carrying the flag for her national teammates, who have pushed each other to be at their absolute best.

“It was a really tight competition to get in. Emily had the last chance, and unfortunately, she didn’t make it. When I made it, I was really proud when I saw how well those girls did and how well I did. (I knew that) no matter who goes, I know that they will be going to represent Jamaica well,” Lyn told The Gleaner.

Making Calderbank and McDonald proud is a privilege and a responsibility that she embraces, especially the latter, who she has been swimming with for years.

“I know all of them personally, and they are very nice people. I have been swimming with her (McDonald) for so long, competing for Jamaica. Hopefully I can make her proud,” Lyn added.

National coach Wendy Lee affirms that the narrow margins of qualifications show the evolved strength of Jamaican swimming, not just for Lyn, but also for Josh Kirlew, who is part of the three-person aquatics team at the Games.

“The difference between qualifying for the Olympics and not qualifying for the Olympics was one-one hundredths or two-one hundredths of a second. So to say that Sabrina and Josh are the only talents that we have is not true,” Lee said.

Lyn has credited the guidance and mentorship of Lee and her coach at Louisiana State University, Leah Stancil, an Olympian and multiple Barbadian national record holder, for getting her to this stage. The intensity of the training was an adjustment but a requirement to improve at the senior level.

“It was definitely challenging. They really pushed me hard. They wanted me to get stronger. They wanted me to get way better at sprinting, so they really pushed me to get better at sprinting outright, building my muscle, and they are also big on aerobics. So they pushed me to get better at long-distance swimming even though I am a sprinter,” Lyn said.

Lyn is still in Jamaica and will make her way to France this weekend to begin final preparations for the Games.

Hoping to emulate five-time Olympian Alia Atkinson, Lyn is committed to her own evolution as a swimmer.

“It is very pressuring, but for right now, I am not trying to get to her level right now seeing that this is my first Olympics. Hopefully, as I progress in swimming, I can get to her level,” Lyn said.

“It is a very honourable role to take on, but I am really focused on trying to swim my best and do what I need to do.”