As a small child, Patrick Campbell would have nothing to do with water. However, these days Patrick can’t get enough of it.
“When I was younger, I would not touch the water,” Patrick admits “But then I saw the world swimming championships and I thought they were pretty good.”
From a young age, Patrick had a passion for competing in several sports including soccer and swimming.
“I like swimming for the thrill of when you win, when you get a podium finish or break a record. You swim fastest when you’re competing because you get the adrenalin rush. And, everyone likes to win.”
Each week, Patrick devotes most mornings and afternoons to the pool. As a result he has represented Maleny on numerous occasions, making his way through district and regional carnivals and even through to the Queensland championships.
This year, Patrick has broken two Maleny High School records. The first was the 15 year boys 50m breaststroke. Patrick annihilated the record, coming in with a speedy 34.81 seconds.
The second record he broke was on the athletics track with the challenging 200m sprint.
The record had stood for 15 years before Patrick came along. He ran the race with outstanding technique and speed, barely giving his onlooking peers time to blink before crossing the finish line.
Patrick completed the race in an exceptional 24.63 seconds, beating the previous record by a little over 3 seconds. “Breaking a record is good because you see all the hard work finally paying off,” he says.
Although skilled in most sports, Patrick’s main focus is swimming the breaststroke. And when one sees him competing, it’s not hard to see why. “I like the power when you’re bringing yourself up out of the water.”
Patrick feels that the breaststroke is harder than most people think.
Japanese Olympian Kosuke Kitajima is Patrick’s idol. Kitajima is currently sitting on three gold medals at the Beijing Olympics, where he also broke the world record in the men’s 100m breaststroke.
“Well, I like him because he’s got a cool name, and he does the same stroke style as me.” Patrick says. He believes that if he puts in the effort and trains hard enough, he may have a future in swimming, like Kosuke Kitajima.
Patrick’s aim is to start training 7 – 9 sessions a week in readiness for the upcoming swimming season. He claims that it’s hard finding the time for school, work and swimming but he’s determined.
So, keep your eye out for Patrick Campbell, Australian breaststroker, in London’s 2012 Olympics.
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