Durban – When Christopher Reid gets onto the blocks at his maiden Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro in August, he will be thinking of his late father, whose dying wish was to see his son compete at the global showpiece.
Darryl Reid would have been proud to see how his son has emerged as an Olympian and South African record-holder after grappling with his father’s death two years ago.
“It’s been a big driving factor because it was probably a bigger dream for him to see me go to the Olympics than it was for me,” Reid said.
“It was his dying wish. He told the doctors, ‘get me to Rio because I want to see my son perform’, so it will be tough going to Rio, but it’s always been at the back of my mind.”
Since his father was diagnosed with cancer in 2013 and his subsequent death three days after their shared birthday, Reid was in a “slump” for three years.
“In mid-July (2014), I broke down just because I was pushing so hard and I never really had time to mourn, but I got out of it and found the right people to help me,” Reid reflected.
At the end of 2014, he joined the University of Alabama under the guidance of former South African swimmer and freestyle world record holder Jonty Skinner.
With his flights booked for August
2015, Reid instead decided to stay in America to race there, which paid off as he clocked a personal best and Olympic qualifying time of 54.13 seconds in Atlanta last month.
The 20-year-old set the pool alight on the second day of the SA Championships and Olympic trials during Monday’s morning heats when he smashed Gerhard Zandberg’s national 100m backstroke record with a time of 53.12 seconds.
Dipping well below Zandberg’s record from the 2008 Beijing Games, Reid shot to fifth place in this year’s world rankings
Adamant that he will not be a mere participant in Rio, Reid wanted to mimic the conditions and pressure he would face at the Games, while he admits his personal best time will have to improve by nearly a second if he is to aim for a medal.
“In my mind, whenever I think of the Olympics I think of a medal, so for me, Rio, I want a medal and that is what I’ve been training for, and not just training for a final,” he said.
“Realistically, if I want to win a medal, I have to break 53 seconds and I have to go between the range of 52.5 to 51.8 maybe. I think the world record is going to be broken this year in the backstroke.”
With the right mindset already in place, Reid now needs to work on a few technical details and improve his strength as he looks to make his dream a reality.
“In all my races I’ve made technical errors that can be fixed in the next four months. I’m going to work on my strength and on fundamentals,” he said.
“Yes, it is going to be about maintaining but I also need to get fitter and stronger because it has taken a toll on me this week.”
The lanky 1.98-metre swimmer is ready to take on the big boys of world swimming, having outgrown his mother Ronel’s custom-made suits.
Before returning to Alabama to start his Olympic preparations in earnest, Reid will spend some time at home in Port Elizabeth to recharge his batteries and stock up on swimsuits.
“She makes unitards for dancing and swimwear. I was her biggest marketing tool, she would always make me wear it,” Reid said.
“I’m a bit too big for the leotards. She would often get me into these colourful, vibrant costumes and that is clearly not me. I’m this dull, black and grey kind of person.
“She made me a whole bunch of suits when I went to Alabama but unfortunately I got a bit big so they don’t fit me any more. She is going to make a whole bunch for me now.”
– The Sunday Independent