South African Olympic gold medalist Penelope ‘Penny’ Heyns has completed a high performance swimming training camp at the Africa Bible College (ABC) in Lilongwe.
The four-day camp, which started on Saturday, drew 35 participants.
In an interview on Tuesday, Heyns hailed the enthusiasm and commitment shown by participants and believes Malawi has the potential to perform well.
She said: “Overall, we have been to Malawi twice for training camps and I have seen huge improvement. The course content included classroom sessions where we focused on the mental toughness side and the motivational aspect.
“The mental aspect is how you handle the pressure and competition. The kids have been great, very responsive and they seem to remember everything. At the swimming pool, we have been focusing on technique aspect and race training.”
ABC swimming coach William Maganga has hailed Heyns for imparting her knowledge and experience to the youngsters.
He said: “The training has been amazing. The swimmers’ techniques have improved and they are looking good. They are looking forward to the coming season.
“Some will compete at the upcoming Region 5 Youth Games in Moizambique in December and the training has helped a lot.”
One of the participants, Jessica Bezuidenhout described the camp as enriching.
“What I have learned is mental side of swimming where you have to deal with the pressure that it brings into you,” she said.
ABC Christian Academy head teacher Riki Maseko said she was excited that ABC Christian Academy Stingrays Swim Club was hosting the Olympic gold medallist.
“It is an incredibly valuable opportunity for our swimmers to work directly with an Olympic swimmer and to learn from someone who has reached the highest level of competitive swimming. While, of course, developing technical skills, she also focused on mental toughness and the ability to push yourself to new heights,” she said.
Heyns is well-known for her historic feat at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games in the US where she became the first woman in Olympics history to sweep both the 100-metre (m) and 200m. breaststroke gold medals.
