Now that the festive season is over, have you plucked up enough courage to step on the bathroom scales? Are you ignoring the extra weight in the room or are you already working out and following a good diet? If you’ve chosen the latter, good for you. However, if you’re still brewing excuses, these three athletes and their daily training regime should encourage you to get back on track.
Andrew Chetcuti
Age: 20
Sport: Swimming
Andrew Chetcuti started training and competing at the age of nine. At 16 he participated in his first major competition with the Maltese national team at FISEC in Portugal, 2009, where he won seven silver medals. In 2010 he competed in the Shortcourse World Championships in Dubai, setting four individual national records.
There is no such thing as trying, only doing
In 2011, Andrew became the first Maltese male swimmer to win a medal at the Games of the Small States of Europe (one silver and one bronze). Additionally, he competed at the FINA world championships in Shanghai, setting a new national record in the 50m freestyle. To top it all, his competed at the London 2012 Olympic Games.
What is a typical day in your life like?
I’m currently studying biology at the Georgia Institute of Technology, with the intention of progressing to medical school – hence, my academic schedule is pretty hectic. On a typical day, I’m usually up at 6am for morning training. Lectures start at 11am and by 3pm I’m usually ready. I then swim again until 5:30pm and have the rest of the evening to catch up on my studies and social life.
Why did you choose swimming?
Funnily enough, as a three year-old I was afraid of swimming so my parents encouraged me to start swimming to get over my fear. Since then, I’ve nurtured a love for the sport and can’t imagine doing anything else.
What sacrifices do you have to make to pursue this passion?
Swimming is an all-year-round sport, so you don’t get much time off training. Even during the week, you’ll be training twice a day, so some may say you have to sacrifice your social life in order to be successful. This is partly true – however, I still manage to make time to hang out with my friends between school and training.
How do you keep yourself motivated?
My motto is “There is no such thing as trying, only doing. You either do, or you don’t.” With this motto I stay focused and always keep my main goal in mind which is to reach an Olympic final.
Do you follow a specific diet?
I don’t follow a specific diet – I just make sure I get enough calories before practice. At the Georgia Institute of Technology we have a nutritionist who helps us with our diet and ensures that we are eating the right food. Typically, I eat a high protein meal after training and snack consistently throughout the day as opposed to the typical three big meals a day.
How do you schedule your training?
My training schedule is organised by the coaching staff at the Georgia Institute of Technology where they try to limit the time in which classes coincide with practice times. This ensures that we get the maximum out of our training regime. Additionally, the coaches try to implement some sort of specificity into training – for example, sprinters like me do more lactic acid and anaerobic styled training as opposed to distance swimmers who focus on higher aerobic intensity sets.
What makes a good athlete?
I think there are three things that make someone a good athlete: dedication, focus and, most importantly, the ability to have fun. If you don’t enjoy what you do, you will never progress or succeed, whether it’s in the sporting or academic field.
Diane Borg
Age: 22
Sport: Athletics
Diane Borg had always loved running but her confidence to train for competitions began at the age of 12, after she was chosen to represent her school in an interschool competition.
A year after, she represented Malta in two international competitions and won two medals – silver and bronze. These experiences helped her become aware of her potential and take athletics more seriously – she started training six times a week. At 14, she represented Malta in the Island Games, Games of the Small States of Europe, World Youth Championships and World Championships. She also managed to break the open/ senior national record in the 100m, won three medals in the Island Games and two medals in the Games of the Small States of Europe. As a result, she won the Athlete of the Year award.
Without dedication and a specific goal anyone can lose their focus
All these achievements are of great prestige to an athlete but she cherishes the achievements of 2011 and 2012 even more since, due to injuries and fractures, she was close to ending her athletic career in 2010. It was Mario Bonello, national coach and friend, who made her realise how special athletics is to her and inspired her to keep fighting for what she loves to do.
What did she get out of never giving up? The highlights of 2011 were winning all pre-season and the season’s national events, clocking the best national performance in the 60m, 100m and 200m, become the 100m and 200m national champion, winning two gold and one silver medal in the Games of the Small States of Europe, breaking four national records, and being the first athlete to go through a round in the World Championships. In 2012, she continued breaking records on a national level, achieved international success and qualified at the 100m preliminary round at the London Olympics.
What is a typical day in your life like?
Normally I do core exercises in the morning and go straight to work afterwards. After work I go straight to training for about three hours. I’ve started studying now so after training I try to manage between my chores, studying, preparing lessons and spending time with my family and fiancé.
Why did you choose athletics?
I like all kinds of sport but I prefer athletics because it’s an individual sport and therefore, you get to enjoy all your hard work. Moreover, it’s easier to see progress and once you succeed, you know that you achieved it thanks to your hard work and not someone else’s.
What sacrifices do you have to make to pursue this passion?
The biggest sacrifice is time. We train at a semi-professional level and so we still need to study or work full-time while coping with training.
How do you keep yourself motivated?
I always want to improve and give my best. For anyone to give their best in anything, they must give their all in preparation. I also keep myself motivated by aiming to qualify for big international events.
Do you follow a specific diet?
I love my food – however, I try my best to follow a high protein and low fat diet.
How do you schedule your training?
I schedule my training to allow time for work and time with my family and fiancé. Normally, I schedule my training straight after work so I can relax.
What makes a good athlete?
A good athlete needs to be dedicated and driven by a goal. Without dedication and a specific goal anyone can lose their focus. Without pushing to the limit, you can never reach your utmost potential.
The key to being a good athlete is not to aim to win but to always improve your own performance.
Stevie Camilleri
Age: 25
Sport: Waterpolo
Stevie Camilleri has been playing waterpolo since he was 10 years old. Since then he has won five national championships, four league cups and has been voted Best Player of the Year in 2007, 2011 and 2012, all with top local side Neptunes.
Stevie has also been playing waterpolo professionally in Italy over the winter months for the last four seasons – this year it will be his fifth season. The Italian league is considered by most to be one of the top leagues in Europe and Stevie values it strongly, particularly because each team in the top flight is allowed to have two foreign players in the squad. He feels his greatest achievement so far has been finishing fourth in the league in his third season in Italy.
What is a typical day in your life like?
As waterpolo is played professionally in Italy, it’s practically a full-time job. My day begins with swimming training in the pool for about an hour and a half. Then in the afternoon we have a two-hour session based on ball control and tactics. We also have three sessions a week at the gym, which usually last for an hour and a half. Finally there are two video sessions to help prepare for the next game.
Why did you choose waterpolo?
I’ve always liked water sports. I had tried taking up swimming professionally but it didn’t last long. Since most of my friends already played waterpolo, it was the natural next option as I was very drawn to the physical aspect and the fact that it’s a team sport.
What sacrifices do you have to make to pursue this passion?
Playing abroad means I spend eight to nine months away from home and family. I would say this is the biggest sacrifice I make to play at the highest level.
How do you keep yourself motivated?
The most important factor in sport is motivation – without it you won’t be able to perform at your best. My main motivation is the fact that I’m one of the lucky few to be able to do what I’m passionate about.
Do you follow a specific diet?
I avoid junk food and try to stick to a balanced diet. I also drink lots of water to remain hydrated.
What makes a good athlete?
To be a good athlete you have to be fit physically and mentally. You have to set out clear objectives and be determined enough to do whatever it takes to achieve them.