Swim your way to GOLD at London's Olympic Pool
- Mar 20, 2018
- 4 min read
Swimming in the same water as the greats.
From Michael Phelps winning his record-breaking 19th Olympic Medal in the 4x200 metre Freestyle Relay.
Source: Olympic Youtube Channel
Or Tom Daley's bronze medal effort in the 10m Platform diving.
Source: Olympic Youtube Channel
Well, with London's Olympic legacy already SIX years old... the Aquatics Centre have opened the competition pool and diving boards for public use!
Have you ever thus dreamed about being an Olympian?
Now is indeed the time to do so.
So let us tell you how the Olympic Pool can make your swim EXTRA again.
The Aquatic Centre host Swimming sessions in the competition pool and its training pool.
The training pool, the 'best kept secret' of the games - where swimmers warmed up, unseen on Television!
Image: Ardex Tiling
Doggy-Paddle: The beginnings:
I used to be an avid swimmer myself - a Butterfly record-holder at that. Be it, swimming in an uncontested pool amongst a secondary school cohort with apathy towards "that bum-jiggling" stroke.
But I loved it - it's somewhat poetic to marry the technique of thrashing your arms about whilst looking supposedly graceful.
Though, it grind does get to you. The cold, early morning trainings; the shock to the system jumping into freezing cold water; the endless lengths back and forth...and back and forth.
So eventually, I grew out of it.
It got boring. It wasn't extra.
But when the Extracise team found an opportunity to swim at the Olympic Pool - I jumped at the prospect, though approached the pool with nervous excitement.
We also wanted to go beyond what was extra, allowing our social media followers to VOTE on which swimsuit I would wear for the big evening.
Arrival:
It was an evening of firsts for myself - my journey consisted of boarding the TfL Rail (soon to be Elizabeth Line) for the first time - and as always listening to very EXTRA tunes to get myself in the mood.
Alas, Stratford: the exterior of the Aquatic Centre had as much gravitas as the inside - beautifully designed by Zaha Hadid.
However, the atmosphere was filled with tension and anticipation. It felt like an entrance to a cauldron - almost like Gladiator as Russell Crowe enters the Colosseum
Entering a place of immense meaning to millions of people at the games was truly heartening.
Before I knew it, I was thrusted onto the atmosphere. A public viewing gallery, giving spectators a panoramic view of the entire complex.
There was a sense of serenity too. Seeing swimmers and divings look aesthetically pleasing, glistening as they glided through or into the water...
Don't worry, the water wasn't green like it was in Rio!
The Big Reveal
After an immersive Facebook Live - the swimsuit was revealed...
So alas, there I was resorted to sport bright (fiery) red Y-Fronts, with a Go-Pro - having the film my swim.
Still, I embraced it wholeheartedly, trusting the Extracise democratic process.
The Swim
This was the real entrance to the Colosseum. A long corridor connects the changing room with the swimming pool itself.
A light at the end of the tunnel awaits swimmers, as you bask to the glistening lights of the arena, reflected off the glimmering water...
There was a sense of gravity: that realisation of the significance of where you are - and the dawn of what you're about to do.
Before you know it, you're on the blocks. The cold breeze hits you as you anticipate diving in - especially with those Speedos!
Memories of a muffled tannoy announcing the swimmers on each lane came to me.
"On Lane 4, Winston Lo - from X school".
On your marks.
GO.
I used to be nicknamed 'Shiny Butt', because of the frequency of which my trousers fell as I dove into the pool.
Not now, thanks to the vote - as I was dolphin kicking my way through the 15m flags.
Then the realisation hits you that 50m is far!
The physical strain that begins to hit you at about 40m makes you forget about where you are - and morphs into any other pool, really!
You begin to realise you're sharing a lane with many others...fighting for position.
You realise you also need to swim clockwise, after someone kicks you on the opposite direction.
It's not a luxury - similar to having to fetch tennis balls at the net after running out.
But alas, you're now embroiled on a battle with the next lane - you give it all your might, thrashing away at the water, your form goes out the window, as you would stop at nothing for that small victory in your mind.
You've reached the end - gasping for air out of the water.
And once again you realise - amidst the gleaming atmosphere: the significance of where you are, ardent to swim more.
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