RooMXMatez TM: DARE TO WIN

DARE TO WIN

By Unknown Thursday, March 05, 2015 Leisure

Sara Isakovič is one of the most successful Slovenian athletes, swimmers and an Olympic medalist. I know Sara and she is my favourite slovenian athlete. I trained swimming too in my childhood since I was a great swimmer in the discipline of speed swimming and apnea. So my conversation with Sara flew easily.

I established contact with Sara through social networks and I prepared 10 questions for her to answer to me. She was happy to answer them and with return communication upgraded her response to the informal level.

Below are the questions that I included in my conversation with Sara:

Swimming is your world. Has swimming been your passion since you were little? Have you dreamt of an olympic medal already from the very beginning in the swimming sport?
How did you feel when you met the Olympic norm and when you realized that your dream of competing at the Olympics was becoming reality?
What were your feelings when you won the silver medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics?
You live in United States of America, more specifically in California. How would you compare the importance of the Olympic Games and olympic medals for the Americans and Slovenians
How do you look at marketing of the Olympics, do you think the Olympics are more of a sports or marketing event?
Do you think people that other people see Olympics more as a marketing event than a sports event?
Do you think that the organization of the Olympics should pay more attention to the event itself than its marketing?
American athletes are usually very successful at such important competitions, they bring home a lot of medals. What do you think Slovenian athletes could still improve after last year's most successful Winter Olympics for Slovenia in history of our country competing at the Olympics?
Have you ever thought about swimming at the Olympics for the US?
Finally, let me ask you one 'more fun' question. Who is the best Olympic athlete of all time in your opinion and why?

Sara answered the first question about swimming with telling that swimming was and still is really her world, which she would never switch for anything else. She says that this sport teaches you hard work, discipline, it lets you know that with hard work anything is possible, it allows you to see the whole world and get to meet extraordinary people from different countries. Since she was a little girl, she has always wanted to be one of the best athletes in the world and has always dreamt of an Olympic medal.

She met the Olympic norm for the first time when she was only 15 years old (just before the birthday) and it was one of the most beautiful moments in her swimming career. She still remembers how she rushed out of the water to the phone to call her parents. She was excited and of course extremely happy.

The feelings when she won the silver medal at the Olympics in Beijing in 2008 were indescribable. You dream about it your whole life, you work hard for it and hope that you will one day succeed. Sara managed to fulfill her dream and in that moment she realized what power you can have, that you can create all of your dreams, only if you really want it and every day train very hard.

The relationship towards Olympic athletes in America and Slovenia is different, Americans immensely appreciate Olympians. They know how very hard it is to qualify for the Olympics, let alone win a medal. Anyone who learns that she is an Olympian jumps from happiness and when she tells them she has an Olympic medal, they become euphoric. In Slovenia it is quite normal that people think that if you competed in the previous Olympics, it means you will of course compete again at the next games. This of course is not true, it is very difficult to swim the Olympic norm. At the competition itself, you have to prove what you are capable of and you have to get to the top. She thinks that Slovenia isn't aware of how many and how good athletes we have, regardless of the fact there are only two million people in our country.

Sara's opinion on the Olympics as a sports or marketing event, she would like to believe that the Olympics are primarily a sporting event, because we all know how much marketing is involved. Like all events, the Olympics also need sponsors who provide financial support for the entire event. As an athlete (at all three Olympics where she competed) she never felt that marketing is more important than the sports event itself. According to her, sport is still the most important part of the Olympics for anyone who enjoys watching this competiton.

Also about whether the organizers should pay more attention to the event itself than its marketing she said that she thinks that everything has always been wonderfully organized, without excessive advertising.

American athletes are of course usually very successful at such major competitions such as Olympics, they always bring home a lot of medals, many gold. Sara believes that Slovenian athletes, depending on the success of the Olympic games in Sochi in 2014 could not improve anything, «we always prove how extraordinary athletes we have.».

Sara didn't even accidentally think she would ever swim in the Olympics for United States, she doesn't have an US citizenship. She is thrilled to be representing Slovenia and to advertise her country with her successes worldwide.

And who is the best Olympian ever in Sara's opinion?

«This question rules. But for me the answer is quite easy. This is, of course, Michael Phelps. Swimming is one of the toughest sports in the world and also the most competitive. The whole world swims. To win in eight disciplines is something incredible. We all know that almost all disciplines are swam three times: heats, semi-finals and finals. Each swimmer is specifically prepared for his/her main discipline, maybe two. Phelps managed to win five individual gold medals and three relay in a wide variety of disciplines. It is true that other athletes can't win eight gold medals (they don't have as many disciplines), but depending on how hard it is to win a single gold medal in swimming, I think that Michael Phelps is something really special. I am delighted that I have watched his performances in Beijing live. I also trained with him twice, so I have the honor to know him personally.».

Timi Letonja - Jana Letonja

CEO & Founder of RooMXMatez TM - Contributing journalist