Davis keeps head in the water and eyes on the prize

IT IS refreshing when a youngster knows what he has to do to make it at the highest level. It usually augers well for a professional future, and this is the case for Jamaican swimmer Benjamin Davis.

The 17-year-old Mount Kelly student is already firmly grounded in the discipline it takes to manage school and sports; he now needs to get up to speed with the rest of the world in terms of times.

The youngster, who has a personal best of 53.56 in the 100-metre freestyle, well short of the Carifta record which recently dropped below 50 seconds for the first time, understands this.

“This year my personal best in the 100 freestyle at the Carifta Games is 53.56 seconds, and 50 freestyle, 24.30 seconds. I would say there is a lot of improvement for me this season,” he said.

This is particularly the case since Davies is targeting the Junior Pan Am Games and the World Juniors in August, just months away.

“I am targeting Junior Pan American aquatic games in Asunción, Paraguay, which begins August 9 to 23. Also, World Aquatics Junior Swimming Championships in Romania, from August 19-24,” he explained.

“These two are my main goals and I am looking forward to them,” said Davis.

A former Cornwall College student, young Davis is an academic standout. He was the top Caribbean Secondary Examination Certificate (CSEC) scholar last year at Cornwall.

“I took 11 subjects and got 10 grade ones. While I was preparing for CSEC, I was also preparing for Carifta swimming,;participating on the school’s athletic team, doing high jump; and playing football with Our Kids Academy,” said a proud Davis.

RANKING IN JAMAICA

His times have him ranked fifth in Jamaica this season, which is a jump from his ninth-place ranking a year earlier.

Davis already has a method to continue improving while at Mount Kelly, especially with ambitious goals in the pool.

“I already know I have to train every day, so I try to maximise the free time I have by studying efficiently. I also set priorities, so I know where I need to focus my energy,” Davis explained.

The swimmer was a part of the Jamaican team to the Carifta Aquatics Championships in Trinidad and Tobago in April.

He won two silver and a bronze medal while anchoring three of the four relay teams at the Games.

According to Davis, he was introduced to swimming at an early age by his mother.

“When I was about age two, my mom just wanted all of us, my brothers and I, to learn how to swim. We went to the beach, anything that we could do by ourselves. Competitively, I started at about age six,” Davis said.

Passionate about swimming, Davis said he wants to pursue a professional career in the sport.

“It has been something that I have loved doing since I was small. I have been representing Jamaica since I was 11, so I am really passionate about it. I want to continue swimming for a long time,” said Davis, who also loves playing football when given the opportunity.

His motivation? A smiling family cheering him on.

“Whenever I do well, I feel happy knowing they are happy, too. I just like the feeling, and I always want to feel that way. That is my main motivation. That is why I keep on pushing and training hard to improve, so at these games when I come up, I can medal and have a good time,” Davis said.