At CIS, we provide our students with a wide range of opportunities for sporting development throughout the school year. One such activity is swimming and Ivan M, a grade 6 student who placed first in 3 events during the SNAG (Singapore National Age Group) swimming championships this year, is among a group of talented swimmers who represent CIS. We catch up with him to find out more.

What are the SNAG events that you placed first in?

I won gold in the events for 50m, 100m and 200m breaststroke.

Why is swimming your preferred activity?

Ivan: I chose swimming because my parents said that I could swim like a fish since the age of 3. I’ve also grown to enjoy training for competitions as they motivate me to go as fast as I like.

How do you feel about your achievements?

Ivan: Winning at SNAG was one of my happiest moments, because all the effort and perseverance that I put into swimming for the past 5 years had finally paid off.

What kind of challenges did you encounter during the preparation process?

Ivan: The most difficult part was probably going to training sessions in the morning as I like to sleep in. It was also mentally hard to keep up with both school work and training during the school week. It will probably be more challenging when I move to secondary school but I’m going to try my best nonetheless!

What was your most memorable moment?

Ivan: This was during my first event - the 100m breaststroke. Before the race, I had many doubts about winning because I was up against some tough competition. When the results came out, I was relieved and overjoyed to find out that I had come out at the top.

What are your future plans?

Ivan: As I am only in grade 6, I'm not entirely sure what I'm going to do in the future but I definitely want to stretch my potential in international competitions all over the world.

Is there anyone you'd like to thank?

Ivan: I would definitely thank Coach Helen Sweeney for her passion in coaching me and the other CIS swimmers as well as organising local and international swim meets to perfect our skills.