Saturday 16 / November / 2024
Muscat: When students of the British School Muscat assembled for the inauguration of their new swimming pool complex, little did they know they would be met by a very special guest.
Elizabeth Simmonds, who represented Great Britain at the 2012 Summer Olympics, had been invited by the school for the ribbon-cutting ceremony, which officially signalled the opening of the new pool.
The 25-year-old Simmonds, who was at the BSM on December 8 and 9, inspired the students to take to the water, narrating how swimming played a huge role in her character development.
“I started swimming at a really young age, and learned a lot of things about myself when I was in the water,” she said, speaking exclusively to the Times of Oman. “You learn some pretty big life skills, like determination and resilience and a desire to never give up, and all these things are really important, especially when you are growing up.
“The sooner you enter the pool, the better it is for kids because sometimes, they become more afraid of entering the water when they are older,” added Simmonds.
“It is important to show kids that there is nothing wrong with entering the water because when you overcome your fears here, it gives you a lot of confidence to face other challenges in life as well.”
Although Simmonds was hoping to win a medal at the London Olympics, she ended up finishing fourth. Defeat, she said, is part of any sportsperson’s career, and what’s important is how one bounces back.
“My objective was to win a medal at the Olympics in London, but I narrowly missed out on it and finished fourth,” she recalled. “But that is a part of any sport and when you are in the water,you learn a lot about your achievements and how to respond to these setbacks.
“If you can turn your love for swimming into a career like I have, it is a great thing, but otherwise, learning to swim is a very important life skill to have,” said Simmonds. “My parents were always very supportive of my passion for swimming and they never put any pressure on me to succeed. They always told me to take this as far as I wanted to, as long as I had an interest in the sport.”
The 2012 Olympics aside, Simmonds was also a part of Team GB at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. She also won medals at the 2008 World Championships, the 2006, 2008, 2010 and 2014 World Championships and the 2010 Commonwealth Games.
In addition, she also held the national record for the fastest timing in 50 metre backstroke (26.88 seconds), 100 metre backstroke (56.69 seconds), and the Commonwealth Record for the 200 metre backstroke, timed at a fraction above two minutes (2:00.91)
BSM Principal Kai Vacher was delighted to have a sportswoman of Simmonds’ calibre pay a visit to the children.
“We’re very happy to have someone of Elizabeth’s calibre here with us at the British School in Oman,” he said.
“It is very interesting to have her here with us because while speaking to the students, she not only touched on her achievements but also emphasisedthe importance of setting goals, and the pluses and minuses of being a successful swimmer.
“She did talk about the success that comes with winning medals, but she also told us about its downside, such as training schedules and discipline, and that was really interesting,” he added.
“At the end of the day, she asks herself, ‘did I do my best?’ and if one did one’s best, no matter what the outcome, one can be happy with what one has achieved.”
Simmonds also spent time swimming with the BSM Marlins, the school’s swimming team, and conducted a workshop for them over the weekend.
