Lewis Clareburt with his bronze medal at the Commonwealth Games. Photo / Photosport
Lewis Clareburt with his bronze medal at the Commonwealth Games. Photo / Photosport
One of New Zealand's best young swimming talents has his eyes firmly set on an Olympic medal in Tokyo - and his chances are good.
Lewis Clareburt is fresh off becoming just the fifth New Zealander to win a medal at the world championships, and he's just 20.
Competing in the 400-metre individual medley, Clareburt took the bronze medal in Gwangju, South Korea, in July this year. That result came after he also claimed bronze at the 2018 Commonwealth Games.
Even though the youngster is only expected to be at his physical peak in another five years, Clareburt wants a medal at Tokyo 2020.
"My ultimate goal is to win an Olympic medal. Whether it's at Tokyo or any time after that I just want to make sure I get myself on the podium.
"But I also want to help give back to the sport, inspire the next generation and I want to create a pathway for younger, up-and-coming athletes so we can consistently be on the medal podium for swimming."
Indeed, Clareburt knows first-hand the benefits of receiving help to achieve his goals; the Wellingtonian is one of a number of young athletes who are part of ANZ Olympic Pathway Programme.
"I've just joined the ANZ Olympic Pathway Programme and it's a huge spectrum of ways they're supporting us," Clareburt told NZME.
Along with financial support, the ANZ Olympic Pathway Programme offers the athletes it works with financial advice, mental skills coaching and help with developing commercial relationships.
"I guess, for an athlete, you don't just focus on money, you don't just focus on the physical stuff, there's also the mental side and how you emotionally prepare."
Lewis Clareburt celebrates his bronze at the Commonwealth Games. Photo / Photosport
The goal for Clareburt is to find a way to be a well-rounded person amongst the bubble of professional athletic life.
"At school we had this motto 'The All-Round Man' and becoming the all-round athlete I think is hugely important.
"If you've got that one little aspect of your training, or you as person, missing; that can cost you medals."
But he says the programme is already giving him confidence as he trains towards his Olympic dream.
"People don't realise how much having confidence in yourself and how well you can swim affects how fast you can go."
Lewis Clareburt with his bronze medal at the Commonwealth Games. Photo / Photosport
However, Clareburt is aware that confidence by itself will only take him so far. Instead, it's finding a way to stay motivated to work as hard as possible.
"You've got to have respect for the grind, and the other thing is the feeling of bettering yourself every time you compete, and having those little goals that you can achieve in training is probably the biggest thing that keeps me coming back for more."
