DREAMING OF OLYMPICS
Rebecca Meder hated water, now she’s a swimming champ
Once she hit the water her ability was obvious‚ recalls coach Bianca Marais
Rebecca Meder‚ the 14-year-old Grade 9 pupil who bagged five titles at last week’s senior national swimming championships‚ hated putting her face in the water as a child. But not long after following older sister Abigail into the sport‚ Meder won 10 gold medals at her second big gala and that is when she started dreaming of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. "I hated water until the age of six‚" said Meder. "I would not put my face in the water. I used to scream every time I put my face in the water." Her ability was obvious‚ recalls coach Bianca Marais. "The talent was definitely there‚ she’s just got an amazing feel for the water." Rebecca started training in 2011 and by the next year, she was winning. "I was sitting in the car and I was playing with my [10] medals and I said‚ ‘dad‚ I want to go [to the Olympics] one day’." Adding to her resolve was the fact that Chad le Clos won his Olympic gold on her birthday in 2012. For 2017‚ however‚ SA’s new champion in the 200m and 400m individual m...
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