Dubai: Slovenia's new European champion swimmer Sara Isakovic is going to have no more holidays leading up to the Olympic Games in Beijing this summer.
The 19-year-old Dubai-bred girl has a strict training regimen to follow in the build-up to the Summer Games, starting on August 8.
Last month, Isakovic upstaged Olympic champion Camelia Potec, pipping the Romanian by just 0.02 seconds to win the women's 200 freestyle in 1:57.45 in Eindhoven.
"There is no time to even celebrate now," Isakovic told Gulf News from Eindhoven after spending a few hours with her father Nenad.
Much of her early swimming was done here in Dubai, with His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, allowing the Isakovic twins to train in his Olympic sized swimming pool at the Zabeel Club.
"That period in Dubai was so crucial to my growth as a person and as a swimmer," Isakovic mentioned.
"I can never forget the role that Dubai has played in my reaching the heights of my sport," she added. There were no dearth of sceptics about Isakovic's win last month as it came in the absence of Laure Manaudou, the world champion and world record holder, who left the championships early to catch up with her Olympic training.
Also absent was Italian ex-world record holder Federica Pellegrini, who was disqualified for a false start in the heats.
"But I was confident in what I wanted to achieve. It would have been better if both Laure and Federica were there in the final as I would have known where each of us stood in the race," Isakovic said.
But in a championship dominated by the new faces of Alain Bernard and Marleen Veldhuis, Isakovic showed to the world that she is ready to take a step higher and be among the serious contenders for a medal, possibly a gold, at the Beijing Games.
Unknown quantity
Bernard, a 6.5 ft Frenchman who was relatively unknown before the meet, set three records on the way to his titles, including in the 50 freestyle.
Veldhuis broke Inge de Bruijn's world record - set at the Sydney Olympics - in the final of the women's 50 freestyle.
Italy's Pellegrini, who had been disqualified for a false start in the 200 freestyle heats, bounced back by taking the women's 400 metres freestyle world record from Olympic and world champion Manaudou.
"The thing about me this time is that I was supremely confident about myself. And that is the reason why I preferred to skip the 200 breaststroke and concentrate only on the 200 freestyle," Isakovic said.
The petite Slovenian now hopes to build on this confidence as he starts her preparations for the Summer Olympics. "I feel great at this moment, and I want to make the best of this feeling.
"There's going to be no rest or holidays for me from now on. I go back into serious training with the national squad and hope that the best is yet to come from me for my country.
"And some part of the glory will be reserved for Dubai," she added.
