With temperatures soaring outside, kids jumped into the indoor swimming pool at GEMS Wellington Academy – Al Khail. They giggled as they began swimming gingerly. It was all fun for kids warming up for two months of summer holidays.
In the adjoining pool, two teens, Karin Belbeisi and Christina Rach, never raised their voices above a whisper. They wore beautiful smiles as they chatted and nudged each other before diving into the water.
In little over two weeks, Karin and Christina will walk alongside global sporting icons and dive into the Olympic pool at the Paris Games (July 26-August 11).
Karin, a GEMS Wellington Academy – Al Khail student, has qualified for the 400m freestyle event in Paris. The 15-year-old is brimming with excitement as she prepares to represent Jordan, the country of her origin, in the world’s greatest sporting spectacle.
Christina, a GEMS Wellington International School student, has punched her ticket to the Paris Games where the 16-year-old will swim in the 50-metre freestyle event for Eritrea.
In an interview with City Times, the two Dubai teens opened up about their journey from recreational pools to the world’s biggest stage,
Before we get into the Olympics, let’s talk about how it all began. When did you start swimming?
Karin: I started swimming when I was around four years old. I did a range of sports when I was younger, one of them, was swimming. My mum initially put me in swimming. I really loved swimming, and I think my parents could see that, I refused to do any sports other than swimming. And from then, I continued training, it was the only thing I enjoyed doing. And now I am going to the Olympics.
Christina: My mum was the one who put me into swimming when I was four, she put me into Hamilton Academy (in Dubai) with my twin brother. Then over the years, it actually became competitive as I got into the school team and Hamilton also fosters competitions as well.
Were there any swimmers in the family? Anybody from the family with a sporting background?
Karin: My dad used to play basketball and my mum, the only exercise she could do while she was pregnant with me was swimming. So she basically got me into swimming even before I was born!
Christina: My dad is German and he was a professional ice hockey professional who played in Finland, but he got injured. My uncle was also a professional cyclist in Germany. The sporting heritage in the family inspired me because I always grew up watching sports with my entire family. So I had that competitive nature in me, I think that’s why I was driven and drawn towards sports.
Christina, since your father is German, have you got a chance to train in Germany?
I actually competed in German nationals two years ago. That was one of the biggest competitions I ever competed in, it is extremely hard to qualify for German nationals, it’s basically the top 30 swimmers in every age group that can qualify. If you see the times, it’s extremely quick. Obviously when it’s summer, I go to Germany and train there. So it has helped me a lot. Being exposed to such high-level competitors in Germany is definitely an eye-opener.
Both of you are also in school. How do you balance swimming and academics?
Karin: The school has really been an amazing support. I don’t think I would have reached this level without them, they provided me with training when I needed them, they provided me with coaches, and the teachers have been very supportive. So I think that has really helped me balance both education and swimming.
Christina: I have a sports scholarship, I think having that sports scholarship has definitely helped me have that support to balance the academics and swimming.
What was your first memory of the Olympics?
Karin: I first heard about the Olympics when I was five or six years old. But whenever anyone asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up or my goals and dreams, I always used to tell them that I wanted to go to the Olympics. I want to be an Olympian. And my dream has finally come true.
Christina: I always watched the Summer Olympics during the holidays, so whenever we travelled abroad, I remember watching it in Finland, watching it on the TV, I was always excited to see who was going to win the race in the pool.
Both of you qualified for the Olympics recently. What were the emotions when you got the news that you made it?
Karin: It was the biggest shock of my life. They contacted my mum, telling her that I was going to the Olympics. My mum came running to my room, I was getting ready for training, she was like, ‘You are going to the Olympics’. She was shouting, she was jumping. I was shocked, I was like I was gonna cry. After that the news went everywhere. I was in complete shock, I was so happy, I was shaking after I found that out. Both my mum and dad are really proud of me. They had tears in their eyes, they were happy tears.
Christina: It was the same like Karin, my mum got a call from the federation, and she was overwhelmed, I have never seen her crying like that, even my twin brother, I have never seen him like that, everyone was jumping and my mum called all her family members in Eritrea, her sisters, her aunts, everyone was crying. It was the biggest highlight of my life. I honestly came to tears because the Olympics is such a big event and growing up and seeing all the major athletes compete in it, especially since sports has been such a big part of my life, so knowing that I would be on the same stage, same playing field as all those major athletes that I see as role models, is the biggest thing ever happened to my life.
And what was your dad’s reaction, Christina? As a former professional athlete, he must be so proud of you…
I think out of all my family members, he was the most shocked. He could not believe it. I think because he has a sporting background, he understands how difficult it is to get to an Olympics.
It is indeed very difficult to get there. There are 7.9 billion people in the world, and only a few of them become Olympians once every four years. Now that both of you are in that class, what does it mean to be an Olympian?
Karin: It feels amazing. People from all over the world will come to watch these great athletes in action. I hope I get a chance to watch the other athletes at the Olympics after my event. And I will be happy to share my experiences when I return, so young athletes (in UAE and Jordan) can learn from them. I really want everyone to achieve their goals and their dreams.
Christina: I feel an immense sense of pride, knowing that I will be representing my country at such a young age. I hope to inspire a lot of young girls in the UAE and Eritrea, not only to do swimming but also other sports and make sure that they do what makes them happy and what makes them feel proud of themselves.