Lee looks to the future

ZIMBABWE’S continental junior swimming champion Robyn Lee has started working towards the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
While everyone gets geared up for next year’s Games in Rio, the 16-year-old starlet who shrugged off injury to bag eight medals at the Africa Junior swimming championships in Egypt recently, has her eyes five years into the future.
Although her times in Egypt did not qualify for the Rio Olympics, Lee – who is studying in Australia on an Olympic Solidarity scholarship – is confident of realising her Tokyo 2020 dream.
“Unfortunately my times can’t (qualify me to Rio) but I believe I will be at the Olympics in 2020,” she said from her Perth base.
Having broken most of Kirsty Coventry’s junior records, the youngster appreciates the huge expectations that now follow her career.
“It is difficult to follow the shadow of Kirsty Coventry. Tokyo is my big dream at this stage and only when I have qualified will I think of winning medals like Kirsty has done,” said Lee.
The swimmer, who scooped five gold, two silver and a bronze medal in eight events at the Cairo meet, revealed her fears ahead of the Africa Junior Championships.

“Honestly, I wasn’t too confident going into the meet as I was injured for most of last year. I had many barriers that hindered my preparations, four different injuries in one year,” she said.
“First, I tore a muscle in my right shoulder. While resting that shoulder I picked up an over-use injury on my left one.
“I also had a back problem doing a dive before a race. My most recent injury was when I tore my right quad doing land training.”
Balancing swimming and school has been a great challenge for Lee, she is now playing catch up on the academic side after missing out when she was in Egypt.
“Right now it’s a big challenge as I have missed two weeks of school so I have to do catch up work and l have exams in three weeks time. l am having lots of late night studying and early mornings for training,” she said.