Seventeen-year-old Nigerian swimmer, Adaku Nwandu, is striving to achieve a new personal best as she expresses her joy in representing Nigeria at the current Paris 2024 Olympic Games, as reported by NewsNow.
Having a Nigerian father and a Chinese mother, Nwandu commenced representing her country after participating in the National Sports Festival, hosted in Asaba in 2022.
Despite her father hailing from Enugu, she stood for Bayelsa in the Asaba 2022 games and contributed to setting a new national record of 9:28:30 in the 4×200m freestyle women’s swimming event.
She earned her Olympic qualification through her ranking in the World Aquatics (FINA) and will be contending in the women’s 50m freestyle event on Saturday.
“It feels incredibly real, and I am thrilled. I never imagined such an event occurring in my swimming journey, but I am ecstatic to be present among these exceptional athletes,” Nwandu conveyed via Making of Champions.
“My goal is to achieve a new personal best here. I try not to overanalyze based on my past experiences. I aim to concentrate and think with clarity; I am approaching this with ease,” she further explained.
According to the World Aquatics website, Nwandu’s best time in the women’s 50m freestyle stands at 25.60s, which she attained at the 10th Singapore National Championships in November 2023.
She also reminisced about her swimming journey’s origins.
“I began swimming when I was eight years old. After performing poorly in a school competition, I inquired my dad about a potential reward for improvement, and he promised me weekly ice cream treats.”
The women’s 50m freestyle represents Team Nigeria’s sole event on the upcoming Saturday, and she will be competing in heat 6 alongside seven other swimmers.
Out of the 79 swimmers participating in the event, only the fastest 16 will proceed to the semifinals.