00:00 Trinidad and Tobago swimmer Dylan Carter is making preparations for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
00:05 He took some time off to be a guest on the show called "There is Hope" hosted by
00:09 football coach Dion Lafoucade.
00:12 On the show, Carter talked about how he got into swimming, saying he started off with
00:16 water polo as a child.
00:18 However, he could not make the Carifta team and was heartbroken.
00:22 And that's when the swim coach approached him to take up the sport which has given him
00:25 recognition.
00:26 "So I started to show up to swim practice and I started to get in with the group there
00:31 and I started to get a little bit of success and I went to the swim meet and I won a couple
00:35 medals, right?
00:36 And when you win a couple medals it makes you feel really good and it sort of justified
00:40 my decision and so I gave swimming three more months.
00:44 I said, 'Look, I did all right, I'll give it three more months.'
00:47 And then I went to the next meet and I won a couple medals again and I qualified for
00:51 the following year's Carifta in swimming.
00:54 The meet that I got, the competition I got cut from in water polo that very same year,
00:58 I qualified for it in swimming the following year and that was the end.
01:02 I never went back to water polo."
01:03 Carter trains religiously and makes lots of sacrifices to reach for.
01:08 There is also a quote from former American tennis player Billie Jean King that Carter
01:11 uses for inspiration.
01:13 That quote is, "Pressure is a privilege."
01:15 "It's a really nice quote for those big moments, for those game time moments.
01:20 When you feel that pressure, you have to remember that it's a privilege to be in that position
01:25 and to embrace that challenge."
01:28 Even though Carter is from the Caribbean, he is by no means intimidated when competing
01:32 against the giants from the more developed countries.
01:35 In fact, he relishes a challenge.
01:37 "We're the outsiders, right?
01:38 We're not the Team USA, we're not the Team France, we're not Team Canada or Australia.
01:44 You know, we're from the small countries and we maybe don't have as much, we don't have
01:50 the fancy technology or the fancy facilities or the world class this or that or all the
01:55 staff and all this stuff.
01:57 But we have something more, you know, we have a deeper grit and I find that I get a lot
02:03 of strength from that."
02:05 On a final note, Carter also has words of advice, saying it's never too late to learn
02:10 swimming.
02:11 He is also grateful that TNT is loaded with swimming pools.
02:14 "It's good for you, it's good for your body, it's good for your mind.
02:17 It's a very low impact sport, so for those older folks who, you know, maybe your knees
02:23 are hurting from running for years, you know, get in the water, it's not going to hurt you,
02:29 it's only going to help you make your body healthier, your mind healthier and I think
02:33 it's a great sport.
02:34 We have plenty of pools, we have so many pools, we're so blessed in Trinidad and the Ministry
02:40 of Sports has been so great at making these pools, especially in underprivileged areas."
02:45 Carter has so far taken part in two Olympics, Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020, which happened a
02:52 year later due to COVID-19.
02:55 [BLANK_AUDIO]
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