An Olympic Dream Come True

           With Rafael Nadal to his left, and Kobe Bryant to his right, Pedro Oliveira sat, enjoying his breakfast, an awestruck grin across his face as the Olympic village swarmed with high profile stars.

Pedro was the first Portuguese swimmer to qualify for the 2008 Olympic Games, making his first cut in the 200 butterfly a full year before the games began. He claimed that qualifying so early was instrumental in his training. It gave him the ability to let the stress and pressure of the Olympics fade away long before the games, and set his mind solely on competing well. Pedro later qualified in the 200 backstroke and added an event to his Olympic program.

Pedro set a Portuguese national record in the 200 butterfly, beating the previous record by two seconds. Still, there was room for improvement. Pedro expected to swim a second faster, and when he was touched out in his heat and missed making the semifinals by just fractions of a second, he was disappointed. He ended up 24^th in the 200 butterfly, and 26^th in the 200 backstroke. Pedro plans on continuing his illustrious swimming career far into the future. He expects to make the Portuguese Olympic team for the 2012 London games, and claims he is very open to the idea of continuing his career through 2016, when the games will be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Pedro described the Olympic experience as an incredible, once (or thrice) in a lifetime opportunity. When asked how it felt to be included in the exclusive, elite club of Olympians, Pedro responded with, “It’s every athlete’s dream to go the Olympics. To be somebody who has the opportunity to go to the Olympics and gets the chance to compete there is a great honor.”

Pedro described life at the Olympics just as glamorously as we all imagine it to be. Celebrities carelessly stride through the village, and every athlete is royalty. An average day for Pedro consisted of waking up in his apartment that he shared with the rest of his swimming teammates, and a stroll down to breakfast, where he would usually encounter many of the world’s best swimmers. Pedro made a point to mention Ryan Lochte, an American swimming great, would eat McDonald’s every morning. After breakfast he would meander to the pool, enjoying the scenery and livelihood of a city brought to life by the Olympic spirit. Here he felt like true royalty, with interviews from news corporations worldwide while constantly signing autographs for fans trying just to be near the elite competitors. After a usually short, relaxed swim, they would have another meal before being set loose to do as they choose, often going into the game rooms or contacting their parents.

Pedro claims his first Olympic experience was a success and a learning opportunity. He now better understands what it takes to be the best and claims he will work as hard as possible to be one of the true elite come London. He calls 2008 a humbling experience and looks forward to the opportunity to present itself again in merely two more years.