By Ashlea Hellmann
For an athlete, the first trip to the Olympics is an unforgettable experience. For University of Louisville swimmer Vali Preda, his first experience could end up being his only one.
Though Preda came to the United States, and to U of L,?to train and become a better swimmer, Preda returned home this past summer to?represent his home country of Romania in the 2008 Summer Olympics in?Beijing. ?
Preda qualified for the Olympics last March when he swam in the 4×100 medley relay, finishing in eight place in the World Championships in Melbourne, Australia.
Though he only swam one race to qualify for the Olympics, Preda also swam the 100 meter breaststroke in addition the 4×100 medley relay. He finished 31st overall in the 100 with a time of 1:01.77, just short of the Romanian record.
In the 4×100, Preda and his teammates placed 13th overall and set a national record for Romania with a time of 3:38.00. Preda personally swam a 1:01.41 in the breast stroke leg.
Preda said that many students have asked him why he did not choose to swim for?
the United States.?
Besides the fact that Preda is not a US citizen, and therefore cannot swim for the team, the swimmer said that it was a personal choice as well. Preda?said he feels pride in swimming for his home country.?
“I am proud to have swam for Romania,” Preda said. “I don’t think anything should take away from my efforts to qualify just because I didn’t swim for the US.”?
The Romanian team may not seem like a squad to be very proud of. With only five male swimmers and one female at this year’s games, the team is a shadow of former teams who have medaled in past Olympics.?
Many of those former medalists trained in Preda’s hometown, in Brailia. The small town where he grew up in is known for producing great swimmers. Many of the nation’s best swimmers?have trained there.?
“My city is very well-known for great swimmers. We have had two women gold medalist in Sydney and in Athens,” Preda said.
The Olympian said that he owes his results partly to the amount of time the team had to practice in Beijing. The Romanians were the first team to arrive in Beijing for the games, giving them almost two weeks to prepare for their events.?
While they weren’t swimming or training, Preda and his teammates enjoyed seeing the sights and watching the other races.
Preda said he especially enjoyed going to the Great Wall and watching Michael Phelps swim.?
“It was very impressive to watch him perform.” ?
Preda said he also enjoyed the show because he got the opportunity to sit next to the USA men’s basketball team.?
While Preda didn’t return to the states with a medal, he did return with a lot of knowledge and experience. ?
The swimmer, who arrived back on campus a week late, is already diving into school and practice.?
“I am just training with the team,” Preda said. “We are working really hard; swimming is a physically hard sport.”?
Without much of an Olympic team, Preda doesn’t know if or when he will return to the Olympic stage.? That is why he plans on taking everything he learned in China and applying it to his senior season.?
“My Olympic teammates made me realize how important swimming is to me.”
