By Mark Squibb/December 23, 2021
A member of the Mount Pearl Marlins not only arrived back in Newfoundland just days before the provincial government announced mandatory isolation regulations for out of province travellers, but also with a gold medal in his suitcase.
Chris Weeks, 16, won the gold medal in the 50-metre butterfly with an impressive time of 24.04 seconds at the Ontario Junior International (OJI) meet.
“It’s a great feeling,” said Weeks. “You put in a lot of hard work, and then it starts to pay off.”
His fast swim times at local meets qualified him to compete at the OJI, which was held the second week of December.
Over four days of competition, Weeks would swim prelim events in the morning, and then swim in the evening in events that he qualified for, including the 50-metre freestyle, in which he placed fifth with a time of 23.04, and of course the 50-metre butterfly, for which he won his gold medal.
And while plenty of folks enjoy a dip in the pool now and then, most probably wouldn’t want to train for hours on a daily basis like Weeks chooses to.
“The thrill of stepping up on the block before a race, and the thrill during a race, there’s nothing else that compares to it,” said Weeks. “It’s a great feeling.”
He said competitive swimming is a great non-contact sport that poses little risk of injury, and that there’s also an important social component invovled.
“I have great friends that I swim with everyday, and they keep me motivated a lot of the time,” said Weeks.
He started swimming when he was just a toddler, and began swimming competitively about four years ago.
Weeks has competed in other competitions and earned other medals over the years, though, not surprisingly, the COVID-19 pandemic has waylaid many competitions.
