Kyle sets sights on Olympics
Kyle Abeysinghe won two silver medals at the CYG 2017 - Pic by Sameera Weerasekara
Bahamas Commonwealth Youth Games (CYG) 2017 stressed the importance of having the coach by the side at a meet or competition, for any athlete’s success. Kyle, 17, who won Silver in the Men’s 100m and 50m Freestyle events, revealed that, for him, medal hopes were not in his thoughts but, with his coach, Manoj Abeysinghe, his father, poolside, the unthinkable occurred.
“As a 17-year-old I expected to do well. However, I don’t know if I expected to win medals. Everybody going to a meet hopes to win something, which was my goal too. But I didn’t expect two medals– both Silver. In the 100m Freestyle, I knew I could get a Bronze but, in the 50m Freestyle, I did not have any hopes, as I was ranked 7th. I thought even a Bronze was out of reach, but somehow I won Silver in both,” Kyle told the Sunday Times.
He took to swimming at age 5, merely for the love of it, as his older brothers did well in that sport. Today, his international medals tally is 16, in addition to numerous medals and certificates won locally. But nothing comes without dedication and proper guidance. For that, Kyle has a brigade of well experienced campaigners around him.
A simple youngster with a humble upbringing and an ordinary life, for Kyle, inspiration comes from his own home. He has 3 older brothers — Andrew, Matthew and Dillon — as inspiration, in addition to his mentor and trainer, father Manoj, a renowned swimming coach, and his mother, a major figure behind the scenes.
“My mom plays a huge part in my swimming life and my life, obviously. Having a father who is also your coach, is sometimes tough but, at home he’s my dad. My mom always keeps a balance of the two, she’s the steady one,” he quipped.
Coming back to the 2 Silver medals, Kyle insisted his coach was not part of the touring party, but later, his father Manoj took the trouble to fly all the way to the Bahamas to be by the side of his most important athlete. “I wouldn’t have won any medals if he hadn’t come. It’s important for an athlete to have their mentor and coach to be with them.”
“I have had many coaches when I was younger. When I turned 13, I moved to my dad’s group and I have been swimming with them ever since. At training, I don’t see him as my father, I only see him as my coach. He is an amazing coach. He knows how to take the best out of someone. He provides great inspiration and he keeps me mentally focused,” he stated.
With the ultimate goal of winning Olympic Gold, Kyle continues to train under his father, with no hype at all about the 2 Silver he won. But he humbly takes pride in his achievements.
“It’s an amazing feeling for me personally but, for my country, I get a sense of pride that I did well for my country. I’m happy that I could get 2 Silver medals for Sri Lanka. As a personal achievement, it’s the best meet I have competed in my career. My biggest goal is, obviously, to win an Olympic medal, which is every athlete’s goal and biggest achievement. Other than that, I just want to be the best swimmer I can be. I want to get a swimming scholarship to a university in the USA. I want to be one of the best swimmers in the world at some point in my career,” Kyle stressed of his never-ending quest.