It looks like 2016 is going to be a year that Alex Jahan won’t soon forget.
Not only is Jahan one of the big men on campus, being a senior at Greenwich High School, but he now has the chance to battle against the best this country has to offer in the pool.
Jahan, 17, after steadily improving his swim times over the past several years, will be representing the Greenwich YMCA at the 2016 Olympic Trials.
“In the past four years, Alex has been working really hard on making those cuts,” said Connie Wu, YMCA Marlins head coach. “To get a junior national cut as a 14-year-old and then go to Nationals and then today to get the Olympic trials is a big improvement. He’s a really good kid and is has shown a lot of commitment to our team. We were ranked at one point 3,000 in the nation and now we are a top 200 team and I think Alex is a key contributor to that success.”
For Jahan, being able to compete at the Olympic Trials seemed like just a dream.
“I’ve always wanted to make it and it’s everybody’s goal,” Jahan said. “I started out making some small steps by making my first national cut, then making junior national cut and senior national cut. Then eventually I got closer and closer until I was really close and I finally got it.”
During the Junior Nationals at San Antonio, Texas, Jahan took to the pool in the 200-yard breaststroke. Competing in the race of his life, Jahan touched the wall with a time of 2:18.38. Unaware of his accomplishment, Jahan paused and looked at the scoreboard.
It was then where he realized his goal was accomplished and that his life was about to change.
“I couldn’t see my time,” Jahan said. “The kid next to me asked if this was my first trail cut, so I looked up at the board and then saw my time. It felt amazing. When I first touched the wall, I felt the pain from the race. As soon as I saw what happened and as soon as I realized I made it, everything went away. I was so happy and so relieved. It was like a dream.”
Jahan made the Olympic trial cut by one hundredth of a second.
“We all weren’t sure if he made it, but once we realized he did, it was very exciting,” Wu said. “It’s great for the team and for him, especially as he is a junior going to a senior. There’s a lot of pressure on him, but we are really looking forward to next year and competing at trials.”
For Jahan, it’s now the long preparation time to gear up for the Olympic Trials, which will take place at the CenturyLink Center in Omaha, Neb. starting July 26, 2016.
Jahan is the lone Connecticut representative in the 200-yard breaststroke and is seeded 31st in the event as of press time.
Getting ready for the Olympic Trials, Jahan swims every day except Sunday. On Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, Jahan practices when the sun rises, working out at the YMCA pool at 5 a.m. and during the school year and 7 a.m. when school isn’t in session.
Two of the keys to Jahan’s success has nothing to do with being in the water. Wu has been Jahan’s head coach since he was swimming competitively and credits her for his chance to compete at the Olympic trials.
“She’s helped me a lot,” Jahan said. “She’s been my coach for as long as I have been swimming. I haven’t had any other coach besides her. When this pool wasn’t built, I trained at Greenwich Catholic and Greenwich High. When this pool was built, I’ve been training here ever since and it’s an amazing pool.”
For Jahan, everything seems to be on the right track. With prepping for the Olympic trails, enjoying senior year at the high school and figuring out what college to attend, Jahan is primed for a quite enjoyable remainder of 2015 and 2016.
“It’s going to be special,” Jahan said. “I’ve been swimming competitively since I was eight, but I’ve been swimming all my life. It’s just really special and I’m really excited.”
Although Jahan has a plethora of time to prepare, it doesn’t mean that he hasn’t given himself some lofty goals for the Olympic Trials.
“My goal for right now, since I just made it and I have a year to train, I would like to make semifinals at Trials,” Jahan said. “That would be my goal.”
