A Summerland swimmer is preparing for the upcoming Olympic Trials in Toronto.
Kyah DeMitri competed at the B.C. Provincials in Victoria and the Western Canada finals in Winnipeg in March.
In May, she will compete in the Olympic Trials in Toronto, and in June she will return to the nation’s largest city for the Canadian Juniors.
DeMitri, a Grade 10 student, has been involved in swimming since she was six years old. When she was in Grade 8, she began working towards competing at the national level.
She is training with the KISU Swim Club in Penticton. Her program involves academic classes in the mornings, followed by swimming each weekday from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. In addition, she has two mornings of swim practices for an hour and a half each, as well as a two-hour practice on Saturdays and dry land training twice a week.
“It’s years and years and years of hard work,” she said.
She said she is looking forward to participating in the Olympic Trials.
“It’s an honour to be in the same vicinity as Olympic swimmers,” she said. “I just want to do my best in front of these top-tier swimmers,” she said.
At the Olympic Trials, she will compete in seven races, one each day.
So far this year, she has received medals at swim competitions.
At the provincials, DeMitri received bronze in the 200-metre breaststroke and silver in the 100-metre breaststroke. At the Western Canada finals, she earned bronze in the 800-metre freestyle and silver in the 200-metre individual medley.
DeMitri is also working to join the University of British Columbia swim team when she reaches post-secondary. She said the university has one of the best swim teams in Canada.
The athlete is encouraging young swimmers interested in pursuing the sport to have enthusiasm about swimming.
“Have fun and push yourself past your comfort levels,” she said. “Always show up and be a good sport.”
To raise money for travel costs for this year’s competitions, especially the Olympic Trials, DeMitri is collecting cans and bottles. Those who wish to contribute to her fundraising efforts are asked to call or text