January gSTAR: Monique Smit

It has certainly been a year to remember for 19-year-old
Kloof resident, Kathyrn Meaklim, who bagged 17 gold medals during the 2008
swimming World Cup series. This rising star first started swimming at the age
of 8, and two years later, when she watched the legendary Penny Heyns break two
world records in the pool in Durban,
she found her inspiration!

She rates the 2008 Olympic Games, 2006 Commonwealth Games,
and the recent World Cup Series, as her biggest career highlights to date. Her
immediate aspirations are to compete and excel in the 2009 World Championships,
and the 2010 Commonwealth Games.

Her greatest ambition is to break a world record and win an
Olympic medal. The way she is going there is no reason why she cannot achieve
her Olympic dream at the 2012 Games in London.

According to Kathryn, if you want to excel at swimming, you
have to love being in the water, and you’ve got to have the dedication and
commitment to train many hours… then its all worthwhile.

Away from the water, Kathryn loves Accounting and would
like to qualify as a chartered accountant. Until June 2008, she was in her
second year of Bachelor of Accounting through UNISA, studying at Varsity
College in Durban North, but she recently took a break from studies, and
hopes to pick up where she left off in January next year.

She describes femininity as: "The pursuit
of perfection in the female form, maintaining this ethic in a very tough
sporting environment; remaining gentle, humble, graceful and down to earth,
whilst pushing myself to the extreme!"

Kathryn is grateful for the support of her
parents who have helped make her dream a reality, and she is inspired by Nelson
Mandela and Lance Armstrong.

Introducing gsport’s December 2008 gSTAR, KZN swimming
sensation Kathryn Meaklim!

Kathryn, what is
your full name?

My full name is Kathryn Anne Meaklim

Do you have a
nickname?

Not really, my friends just call me Kath
or Kate, and my parents often call me Katie!

How old are you?

I’m 19 years old.

And where do you
live?

I live in Kloof, which is like a small
town near Durban!

What is your
academic year and subject interests?

At the moment I’m taking a break from
studying, but up till June of 2008, I was in my 2nd year of Bachelor of
Accounting through UNISA, studying at Varsity College
in Durban North. I will try to pick up where I left off in January next year; I
love Accounting, and would like to qualify as a chartered accountant!

Are you working at
the moment?

No, just swim, eat, sleep (not really, but
you know what I mean)!!

How do you balance
your sporting career with your study obligations?

Normally, its not that difficult to try
juggle everything, my lecturers are really awesome with helping me to catch up
anything, but when I got back from the Olympics, i just realised that I didn’t
think I could catch everything up, so I took a break! Varsity is pretty
relaxed, which suits me really well.

How are you looking
to spend the holiday season?

Well, I’m sure my swimming coach will
manage to fit in quite a bit of training, and have a gala – Natal champs from 17th to 21st December,
otherwise just going to try relax and sleep as much as possible as well as
spend a lot of time with my family at home.

Do you have
professional sponsors?

At the moment, I’ve got a sponsorship with
Cytomax, but otherwise, no, something that swimmers are always looking for!

When did you first
become interested in sport?

When I was about 10 years old, and watched
Penny Heyns break two world records in Durban!
it was incredible!

 What is a sport
you’d most like to participate in, other than swimming?

Cycling.

How old were you
when you started swimming?

About eight.

Why didn’t you
attend last year’s FINA Short Course World Cup?

I was training really hard for the
Olympics. That was my one goal, to qualify; and I didn’t want anything to
prevent me from getting there. I did race at the Durban leg of the World Cup though.

Your success at the
World Cup this year was nothing short of phenomenal: Are you happy with your
performance?

Thank you so much! Competing at all the
World Cups is something that I’ve wanted to do for a while now, and travelling
the world has been an awesome experience.

I’ve had so much fun and met so many
incredible people. I really did not expect to do as well as I did, I’m
extremely happy with my performances, especially some of the times I achieved
towards the end of the series, I was really, really pleased.

Coming third in the
world with a total of 17 gold medals, has your world changed at all?

Well, I’ve earned quite a bit of money,
which is something really new for me … But otherwise, not really, got back and
went straight back into training!

You’re probably
earned in one event than most South African women’s swimmers have made in a
lifetime: What is the financial advice you most often receive? Are you going to
follow it?

Lots of people have been giving me advice,
mostly telling me to either invest it, or to buy a property. But I’m going to
wait for it to be put into my bank account first, then I will ask my uncle what
I should do with it. His advice I will definitely follow, as I respect his
sound financial decisions!

Do you think that
more South African women can think of making a living out of swimming?

I don’t think, in general, that a South
African woman can think of making a living out of the sport. One of the only
ways to earn a living is by competing internationally at galas such as the
World Cup Series, and these come few and far between!

Its a tough sport to be in, in South Africa, I
think; but I love it, and that’s the most important thing!

You’re missed at the
African Swimming Championships in Joburg- Are you missing the action, or happy
to train and recuperate?

I think I’ve raced quite a lot in the past
couple of weeks, I’m enjoying getting back into training and seeing all my
mates at the pool and from varsity again!! But at the same time, I am missing
being part of the action in Joburg!

What has inspired
you achieve such early success in your sporting career?

I love sport, and I love swimming
especially. Every time I get in the water I have so much fun, and I think
that’s one of the reasons why I have pursued it for this long.

But also, I strive to be the best, I would
love to be able to say that I am the best in the world, so that has definitely
inspired me to swim faster and train harder.

What colours have
you earned, and what are your swimming aspirations?

Colours: Junior Natal;
Natal; Junior south
Africa; South
Africa; Olympics.

Aspirations: 2009 World Championships; the
2010 Commonwealth Games; and then 2012 Olympics!

What is it like to
represent South Africa
for the first time?

It’s an incredible experience, something
that I dreamt about as a little girl! Worth all the hard work!

What have been some
of your career highlights to date?

Top 3: Olympic Games 2008, Commonwealth
Games 2006 and the recent World Cup Series.

Who are you coached
by?

Alisdair Hatfield.

What advice do you
have for young girls hoping to become international swimmers?

You have to love being in the water, and
then you’ve got to have the dedication and commitment to many hours of
training!! – Then its all worthwhile!

Who would you single
out for having supported your career, and what has their support meant to you?

My parents, definitely have supported me
the most, I don’t think i could have got to where I am today without their
support!!

Which has been your
favourite travel destination?

Singapore!!
I loved going to Sentoza
Island, and watching the
pink dolphin show was incredible, and the beach was really pretty!! And China was also
incredible, just a whole different lifestyle and people!!

gsport strives to
celebrate femininity. How would you define femininity, and what role does it
play in your life?

I think I would describe femininity as the
pursuit of perfection in the female form. Maintaining this ethic in a very
tough sporting environment; remaining gentle, humble, graceful and down to earth,
whilst pushing myself to the extreme!!

Who are your role
models?

Nelson Mandela and Lance
Armstrong.

What is your greatest
ambition?

To break a world record, and to win a
medal at the Olympics!

[/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]