|Sport Academy review 2004: Swimming|
|Around the Academy:
We asked you to review the year's sporting events.
And our reviewer for the super splashing great world of swimming is Jonathan, 14 from Frodsham.
How did your interest in swimming begin?
It began when I was nine and I was learning to swim. A year later I was asked to swim for my club and have been interested ever since.
Which events do you compete in?
I basically do every event from 100 metres to 200 metres but butterfly is not my best event so I try and stay away from that!
What are your personal goals within the sport?
At the moment I swim at county standard and am aiming to get into the Northern County this year. One day I will hopefully swim for Great Britain.
Who's your favourite swimmer? Why?
My favourite swimmer would have to be Mark Foster.
He competes in all the events that one day I would like to swim in for Great Britain.
What is the best thing you saw this season?
The best thing I saw this year was watching Michael Phelps in action at the Olympics.
He took away six gold medals in the 400m individual medley, 200m butterfly, 4x200m free relay, 200m individual medley, 100m butterfly and the 4x100m medley relay.
He was the star of the Olympics for me - by miles!
Who do you think is better, Ian Thorpe or Michael Phelps?
It would have to be Michael Phelps.
The thing that makes him so good is that he's 1.95m tall, has got large hands and size 14 feet.
He's still only 19 years old and has so many more Olympic Games ahead of him. He's going to be a legend.
Did anything disappoint you about the swimming season?
The only thing that disappointed me was that Great Britain didn't win as many gold medals as I had hoped.
Is there anything else you wish to get off your chest about swimming?
I really want to see more swimming competitions on the television. It's such an exciting sport and I don't know why it's not televised more.
What are you looking forward to in 2005?
It has to be the World Championships in July.
They are being held in Montreal in Canada and I'm hoping to see some really good and exciting races.
We agree completely. Many thanks for your review Jonathan.