Sensational Kia Alert dreams of Olympic glory

AT JUST 13 years old, swimmer Kia Alert is already making waves in the pool as the multi-gold medallist and four-time national record holder has dreams of one day competing at the Olympic Games in the black, green, and gold of Jamaica.

“I do hope to represent Jamaica at a higher level like the Olympics one day,” Kia explained.

“I know it’s gonna be a difficult road but I am gonna push through it. Having the support from my mom, coaches and friends will help me.”

Kia has already achieved much in her blooming career. The teenager currently holds four national age group records.

She holds the 10-12 age goup national record in the 50-metre freestyle, which stands at 29.51 seconds.

In the same event among the 11-12 age group, she also holds the record with her 27.28-second clocking.

At the Pan American Age Group Swimming Championships last week, Kia broke the national record in the girls’ 11-12 50-metre breaststroke, clocking 33.85. She would do the same in the 100-metre breaststroke with her mark of 1 minute, 17.91 seconds.

She ended the PanAm Championships with a nine-medal haul – six gold, one silver, and two bronze.

“That experience, so far, has been life-changing, knowing that I have gone the fastest time ever in my age group as well as the event,” she said.

“I had just been swimming for fun and I just happened to be good at it. When preparing for the meet, I had to put in a lot of work but that never stopped me.”

A key figure in Kia’s career has been the support of her coach Wendy Lee, who had first discovered Kia’s talent when she was only four years old.

Lee explained Kia had always shown a passion for swimming and her early talent could not be ignored.

“It was just something special about her. She was just special from the first day I coached her,” she explained.

“When she was four years old, I told her mother that she was going to do really well at swimming and we’ve been steadily working together.”

Lee has been heavily involved in Kia’s career, coaching at her school Hillel Academy as well as at her club, Tornadoes Swim Club.

She explained Kia has always shown an aspiration for the Olympics and got the opportunity to train with Jamaican Olympian Sabrina Lynn.

“Kia wants it for herself. It is not what I want nor what her mother wants for her, this is her dream,” Lee said.

“We are only here supporting her dream and she has very strong goals. The fact that she has seen one of her old teammates, Sabrina Lynn, make it to the Olympics makes her dream feel even more realistic.”

Kia’s mother, Dahlia Alert, was a figure of pride as she spoke about her daughter’s dream of Olympic glory.

Alert said Kia’s motivation will be the driving force in her career which has already seen much success.

“I love the fact that she is seeing the results of her hard work because she trains really well. She is so disciplined and doesn’t do anything halfway; she is not mediocre. It comes out in her swimming and she never misses training.

She continued to say, “It is very encouraging for her and her determination makes my job as her mother so much easier. It shows her that if she works hard, then she’ll definitely get the results she wants. It is not just talent, but the effort she puts in as well.”