Nikol ORTEGA: I was surprised at my capabilities

The 18th Junior World Championship took place in June, from 19 to 24, in Cairo, Egypt. The future stars of the discipline participated in a very high-level event. 

An athlete that really shined was Nikol ORTEGA from Colombia, with three World records.

Let us see them in detail.

• 100 IM with a time of 36.87 s. The previous record was that of Diana Sliseva with a time of 36.95 s, from 2021. 
• 50 SF with a time of 17.51 s. The previous record was that of Paula Aguirre (also from Colombia) with a time of 17.53 s from 2016.
• 50 AP with a time of 16.27 s. The previous record was that of Vera Ilyushina with a time of 16.44s from 2012.

Colombia is a powerhouse in Finswimming, with Colombian athletes distinguishing themselves in sprint and middle-distance events. 

We had the occasion to discuss with Nikol and get to know her better: 

• Tell us something about yourself? How old were you when you started finswimming? What do you like more about FINSWIMMING ?
• I'm Nikol Ortega, I'm 17 years old, I started finswimming when I was 11 years old, what I like most about finswimming is that visually it seems very beautiful.
• When you went to the championship, could you imagine that you could break three WJRs?
• I was very well prepared for these championships and I was looking forward to the. It is true that, with my coach, we didn't plan to break 3 WJR, we were just looking to break one (100m immersion). But I was in very good shape and I succeeded. 
• What are your emotions now after the end of the competition?
• I am very happy that all the effort has worked and, even myself, am a bit surprised at my capabilities. For myself, being at the top of the world in junior category, and having three world records, is something the counts enormously. 
• After your triumph, how long do you plan to rest? When are you going back to training?
• After such a hard competition I had a rest period of 2 weeks. Now, I started training again. I feel even stronger and train harder in order to attain my objectives.
• Tell us your next plan or your next target in FINSWIMMING?
• The main objective, decided together with my coach, are the 2024 World Championships in Belgrade, where I would like to obtain my selection for the World Games that will take place in Chengdu, China. My dream is to obtain a medal in an individual event in the 2025 World Games.