T&T star swimmer Dylan Carter did not make it into the semifinals of the men’s 100-metre freestyle on Tuesday morning at the Paris Olympics in France but is aiming to go further in his second event on Thursday, the 50-metre freestyle event.
The 28-year-old finished eighth in heat seven of 10 and was 34th overall out of 79 competitors in a time of 49.35 seconds at the Paris La Defence Arena, but his split has alerted his competitors.
“Sports is about taking blows and bouncing back. We took a blow this morning, but we are going to bounce back,” Carter told Guardian Media Sports, admitting it was not his best race.
Carter opened with 23.46 to be fifth-fastest through the turn and closed in a much slower time of 25.89.
“My start was not that great. I was pretty comfortable for the first 50, but I did not have that change of gear after and just faded. I was always once I took my place at the start about giving it my all, but really I was not so prepared for that, if I have to be completely honest.”
Carter’s main target is the 50m freestyle, saying: “I came here for the 50m, so I really wanted to get the nerves out and get that first swim, and for the first 50m I was in it. Now it is just to rest up, and now I know my morning routine, and everything in place for the next two days (August 1) is the 50-metre freestyle.”
Carter, who carried the national flag alongside sprinter Michaele-Lee Ayhe during Friday’s opening ceremony, told Guardian Media Sports that, “I try to treat it as any other meeting, but I have always struggled with it throughout my career. But I will be ready for the 50 metres and give everything out there. I have a strong team around me this time.”
None of the swimmers in Heat 7 advanced to the semifinals.
Questioned about whether there was pressure on him to succeed, he said, “I think when you represent a small country—one man with the hopes of a whole nation—maybe that is different to a bigger nation, and when the pressure comes, you have to deal with it. It is a big challenge, but I have great support around me that assists in this.”
Ahead of the Games, Carter worked with coach Dexter Browne before former Olympic bronze medal winner and five-time Olympian George Bovell III joined his coaching staff on their arrival in Paris after a two-week camp in Turkey.
“In coach Dex (Dexter Browne), he gives me his all. I have been incredibly grateful over the last three years. We have a goal, and it comes up in 50 minutes. He is a really, really special person, and I am lucky to have him.
“As for George (Bovell III), he has been a massive help and makes a big difference, and hopefully, after all of us have gathered together, I believe in a few days we will see all that was worked on and planned,” declared Carter.
He continued, “There is no Dylan Carter swimming and representing my beloved country without my family. First and foremost, I have to thank all my family—my dad, my mom, my sister, my aunt, and my cousins—who are all here supporting me. That is what gives me the strength to succeed and to understand that you have to stay the course.”
He asked for the T&T public to stick behind the athletes, and don’t give up on us, and continue to support us.
Heat 7 results
1 Sergio de Celis Montalban (Spain) 48.49
2 Tomer Frankel (Israel) 48.66
3 Sean Niewold (Netherlands) 48.82
3 Rafael Fente-Damers (France) 48.82
5 Yuri Kisil (Canada) 49.06
6 Cameron Gray (New Zealand) 49.24
7 Jorge Iga (Mexico) 49.28
8 Dylan Carter (T&T) 49.35
