Delhi not out of the question for golden girl Neves

By Matt Lihou

Kristina Neves. (0617513)

DEEP down, Kristina Neves is just another normal 11-year-old girl.
But in reality, she is a young person with very special potential.
Just over a week ago, she secured a staggering nine gold medals at the national Bagcats meeting at Ponds Forge in Sheffield, making her the hottest talent in the country for her age group.
It is an achievement that even came as something of a surprise to her.
‘I am really happy with Sheffield last week. I definitely didn’t think that I would win so many gold medals.
‘There wasn’t a certain number that I hoped to win. I just went there and gave it my best shot,’ she explained.
Looking back, her father, Bruno, feels that there was a realistic prediction in mind.
‘If all had gone according to plan, according to the rankings and so forth, we were expecting at least five gold medals. But, of course, strange things can happen,’ he said.
Despite her performance, her feet remain firmly on the ground and she knows the need to carry on working hard.
‘I do about 15 hours training per week and sometimes more in England before big events,’ she said.
Bruno also knows the importance of this dedication, knowing that technique alone is not sufficient.
‘If you have the technique and you are naturally gifted, you can get to a certain level. After that, to move ahead of your rivals, sheer hard work is needed,’ he said.
Kristina has an interest in other sports, too, most notably athletics.
Naturally she finds swimming ‘much easier than athletics, which is why I do it’.
Another aspect of both the training and preparation that helps to keep young Kristina focused is the ‘six-month rule’, as Bruno explains.
‘We generally only look ahead six months into the future, which may sound strange, but it stops us getting carried away and means we take each race as importantly as the next.’
Despite the short-term aims, Bruno does admit that the Commonwealth Games in Delhi in two years’ time is a possibility.
‘If she achieves the times, then we would maybe consider giving it a shot. Why not?’
Bruno, Kristina and mother Michelle are all extremely grateful to the sponsorship that Kristina now gets from Rothschild. They started the support at the beginning of this year and Michelle believes that it has been invaluable.
‘It would have been very hard without the money this year to get Kristina to the different events,’ she said.
Much of the money is spent on extra training in the UK, something which Bruno believes could and should be avoided.
‘We have got the facilities over here, but we are not allowed to use them.
‘Beau Sejour doesn’t open till seven every morning and there is no way that 45 minutes’ training is enough for someone like Kristina.
‘Even if they opened half-an-hour earlier each day, it would have saved us something like £1,000 in travelling costs,’ he said.
Another aspect that Kristina has had to deal with is the workload from school, while still putting in the appropriate hours of training. She has just completed her first year at Ladies’ College, but is not finding it a problem yet.
‘I haven’t found it that difficult to keep up with my schoolwork because I have only two or three pieces a night and they aren’t all for the next day.’
While away from the pool and her work, Kristina does enjoy watching swimming and will be keen to witness the exploits of the greatest names in the Olympic Games, starting tomorrow.
Although she does not follow any individual swimmers, Bruno says that they are sometimes in awe of the standard.
‘People like [Michael] Phelps are absolutely incredible. Kristina often sees the times they swim and says, “wow, that’s quick”.’
That level is one to which Kristina can only aspire at the moment, as she takes further steps into the future.
Her next big challenges are in October, when she has back-to-back events in Crawley and Harrogate. And it is the former that she owes a lot to.
‘Being at Crawley is a bit like being at home,’ Kristina explains.
‘It is a big sports centre and the pool is really nice there. It is really close to London as well, which means it is easier to get to.’
Although many sportsmen, both young and old, stick to rigorous diets and eating regimes, Kristina does not find it necessary.
Michelle says that youngsters like Kristina should not be forced into silly habits.
‘We sometimes give her food which is healthy or nutritional if we feel she needs it, like at the end of Sheffield, when she was obviously flagging. But apart from that, there isn’t any need to do it,’ she said.
And Kristina can be forgiven for feeling the strain of her efforts in Sheffield. She swam in 20 races over the four-day event.
But it was certainly worth it, as the nine gold medals hanging from her neck prove.