Local Gloucestershire swimmer Alex Cohoon has had to put his Olympic hopes to one side due to his Fukuoka Aquatics World Championship being postponed.
The 17-year-old was due to take part in the competition next summer however, it has now been delayed by a year due to it clashing with Tokyo 2020 being moved to the summer of 2021 due to the Coronavirus pandemic.
Park Life Sport spoke exclusively to the local swimmer about his time in lockdown, his changing training routine along with his long-term hopes of qualifying for Paris 2024.
Cohoon has been swimming for Cirencester since the age of 5, following in the footsteps of his family who are all keen swimmers. He said:
“Yeah I play a lot of rugby alongside swimming but I chose to do swimming more than rugby.
“My brother used to swim as well so it’s always been in the family.”
The youngster is currently juggling his studies whilst training hard to make a career in swimming.
He is currently in year 12, studying his A-levels which he is due to take next year.
Cohoon has not struggled to keep pushing himself in the sport, qualifying for Olympic trials last year.
The swimmer said: “I was quite happy as it was a personal best for me, I knew the trial times in the back of my head, so I knew if I got them.
“Going into that meet specifically I knew what I had to get.
“I won’t make it to Tokyo I don’t think but Paris 2024 is my ambition.”
With lockdown well underway in Britain, it has changed Cohoon’s training regime with him not being able to get into the pool during this time.
“I train about 4 times a week, 2 hour sessions, but got no pool time now but have got gym equipment.
“I’m doing a lot of running now during the lockdown to make sure I keep fit.
“I find it boring without being able to swim at the moment, nothing else to do.
“Swimming is basically my life at least I can still work out.”
The Cirencester-born swimmer has already got records under his belt breaking three in one event last year, including front-crawl and back-stroke.
Cohoon will now take part in the Fukuoka Aquatics World Championship in 2022 as he attempts to build up his career to hopefully qualify and fly the flag for Great Britain in Paris in 2024.
