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2025-03-16T11:15:00-03:00

Blackburn focused on Olympic push

After a golden performance in Puerto Rico, Lisa Blackburn is switching her attention to the Olympics

Lisa Blackburn almost didn't go to the Caribbean Swimming Championships, turns out it was a good thing she did.The Bermuda swimmer won two gold medals and a silver at last week's competition, and also set a host of new records in the process, including a new Championship record in the 100m breaststroke.Now she's turning her attention to qualifying for next summer's Olympic Games in London, and then hoping to finish her career on a high note by winning gold for Bermuda, in Bermuda, at the 2013 Island Games.Her first chance to hit the qualifying mark will be at the Canadian Nationals later this month, an event the Winnipeg-native has appeared at many times before“It will be somewhat strange to attend an event I have competed in many times before, but to be there representing Bermuda will be very different,” said Blackburn. “Ideally I would like to improve upon my times from CCCAN and get as close to the Olympic qualifying time as possible. I believe that anything is possible if you have a dream and if you work hard to make that dream come true.”At 39-years-old, Blackburn will be one of the older athletes competing to make the Olympics, but she said she wouldn't let that deter her from chasing her dream.“It (the Olympics) requires you to be resilient and persevere even though there may be many naysayers,” she said. “Nowadays there are several older athletes competing at very high levels including the Olympic Games.“Gone are the days when you retired at 21 after university. I am now only 2.34 seconds away from the Olympic Selection Time. I have also swam faster than the qualifying time on several occasions so I know that I am capable of qualifying for the Olympic Games.”The 1:13.23 she swan to set a new Caribbean Championships record in the 100m breaststroke only goes to show that Blackburn can still do more than just compete, and she's certain she can go faster still.“Anything is possible if you are willing to commit to the amount of time and work that is required to be successful,” she said. “As long as I keep improving my workout times and as long as I keep getting stronger, I know that I can still swim faster and make the Olympic qualifying time. It is also important to recognise that achieving a dream means a lot more when you have worked for it.”Not that Blackburn was focused on record setting times when she traveled to the Championships. After some gentle persuasion from national team coach Ben Smith she opted to go to Puerto Rico with the intention of focusing solely on working on her technique.“To be honest I was actually shying away from attending the meet as I felt I needed to concentrate on my fitness and training,” said Blackburn. “With a little bit of encouragement from my coach Ben Smith, I decided to attend the competition but would change my focus from previous events where I was focused on the end result.“I decided to go to CCCAN without any expectations and focused solely on the process (stroke rate, technique and effort) and it worked out well.”In fact, it worked out so well that she picked up golds in the 200m individual medley and the 100m breaststroke, a silver in the 50m breaststroke and set three new national records in the process.“Winning two gold and a silver medal was great,” she said. ”It is always an honour to earn a medal at an international competition. When you reach the podium you have brief moment to think about how you got there, you cannot do it alone.“There are many people who support and encourage me to pursue my dream of competing at the Olympic Games. Colonial, my employer, has provided me with a wonderful opportunity to be able to work remotely while attending competitions overseas and representing Bermuda. Without their support I would definitely not be on this journey, so I am of course very thankful and appreciative of their commitment to my success.”Blackburn knows she can't swim at the highest level forever, and hopes her journey reaches its conclusion in Bermuda.“I must admit I have thought about competing at the Island Games, especially when I saw the great results of the Bermuda Island Games team. As Bermuda is such a small country, hosting the Island Games is something we should all be proud of.“The opportunity to have the top athletes from the Islands in Bermuda in 2013 will be amazing. I can think of no better way to finish my swimming career than at home winning medals for my country.”