Dedicated to the swimming pool

As you turn over the sports pages in many newspapers these days, you are likely to come across photos of a young swimmer with a big smile on her face - Natthanan Junkrajang, or Oom.

She has been in the limelight since the middle of last year, and was one of the most successful athletes from the 24th edition of the SEA Games. With four gold, one silver and one bronze medal, everybody saluted this 21-year-old 'Queen of the Swimming Pool' and she was voted Best Female Athlete of the tournament.

In the latest national sport event, the 35th Thailand University Games, she also raked in 11 gold and one silver medal as well as setting many tournament records.

But victory doesn't come without a price. Oom paid for hers with years of blood, sweat and tears - not to mention patience.

Oom has been swimming since she was eight years old with the support of her father. He only wanted Oom to get formal swimming lessons, but he has been unable to keep her away from the pool since. It was her first instructor who saw her hidden potential and he helped sharpen her swimming skills to be able to compete in tournaments.

She gathered experience bit by bit from competition after competition, always making progress along the way until she was selected as a junior national athlete at 17.

"The difference between the 'general' and 'competitive' swimmer is the level of patience and discipline needed. If you are swimming for exercise you can stop whenever you are tired. But if you are an athlete, you must have a goal and know what you are swimming for," she says.

A swimmer needs a lot of dedication. It's not just about having natural talent but also about hard training and focus. Oom's schedule is an intense one. About six months before each tournament, she spends six hours a day in the water and a fitness gym. She can't eat what she wants because she has to control her diet.

She has to get up very early in the morning for weight training and swimming sessions from 7am-10am. Then, she attends classes at 11am-2pm and drives back to the pool for an evening session from 5pm-8pm.

Each day, she swims a minimum of 6 kilometres, equal to 15 laps of a soccer field.

Oom's father wonders if tears are inside his daughter's goggles - tears of exhaustion. He has seen her cry when driving her home after practice.

Is Oom too exhausted to enjoy other activities?

"Sometimes I feel frustrated that I don't have time to hang out with friends. But I always bear in mind that I'm a swimmer. I have a responsibility to fulfil my duties," she says.

Normal teenage life and experiences are sacrificed for the day when victory is hers.

"Luckily, I don't feel like going out shopping or hanging out with my peers. So I don't feel that I miss out on a social life. When I have free time, I choose to rest in bed," she says with a laugh.

Her longest break so far was when she was sick after a tooth extraction. It was a dreadful two weeks for the young swimmer.

"It was quite terrible for me. Swimmers shouldn't stop training for too long because it takes a lot of time and energy to get back to where you were," says Oom.

Each swimmer is skilled in different strokes and lengths. For Oom, she prefers a short competitive distance such as 50 or 100 metres with sprint options.

She says that even between races, while her arms and legs are swinging and her eyes are glancing at her opponents, there is still something going through her head. "I'm almost there, just try harder, I sometimes tell myself if I start to get tired in the middle of the race."

Swimming is different from other sports such as soccer or golf in that there are fewer tournaments. Thai swimmers receive financial assistance when they are chosen as national athletes and get special bonuses for winning medals. It is not a 'money-making' sport.

That's why Oom has never ignored her studies and during the past two years she has attended as many as she could.

Currently a fourth-year student at University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce, Oom says she has already accepted an offer to study for a master's degree in business administration at the same institute.

"There is no guarantee of jobs after we graduate. Also, the income we get from each tournament is not enough and we have to work other jobs, so I have to plan my life and continue my studies.

"But I absolutely love swimming."

Competitive swimmers have to change costume about once a month. Not a problem for this top young swimmer, as she is sponsored by Speedo.

Not only does she have to be tough physically to manage her time between study, training and social life but mentally, too, as she has to learn how to manage her own feelings before a competition. High expectation makes swimmers become stressed.

"If you think practice is hard, well, controlling your own mind is even harder," says Oom.

Even though she is now in top form, Oom still reminds herself about the truth of being an athlete.

"I always bear in mind that as high as you climb you can always fall down. One day you may be a winner but some day you may be a loser. That's the truth," says Oom.

 Suwicha Chanitnun

The Nation