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| Franci Alexi in the pool greeting with his thumb |
Swimmer from Albania, Franci Aleksi, is training to qualify for the Olympics after two unsuccessful attempts to represent Albania at the Rio and Tokyo Olympics. In an interview with VOA he talks about his commitment to securing participation in the 2024 Paris Olympics and his successes with the University of Ashland's swimming team in the United States.
Swimmer from Albania Franci Aleksi, from the age of 8, when he started doing this sport, is pursuing his dream to participate in the Olympic Games.
The 23-year-old has twice tried, but without success, to qualify for the Rio and Tokyo Olympics.
Franci says it was precisely these failures that pushed him to continue to insist.
"After failing to qualify for the first Olympic Games, I had a break from swimming for two or three months. Then I started intensive training to achieve even better results and achieve higher. I managed to break all national records in various disciplines. I became the absolute national champion. There were no Olympics that year, but these results enabled me a scholarship to America, where I am now, I am paid for all my school expenses," he said in an interview with VOA.
Franci is now in his fourth year of studying economics and business at the University of Ashland in Ohio, USA.
In addition to school, France is also a member of the university's swimming team and has won the title of "Swimmer of the Week" several times.
"I have received this title four times during all the years I have been here. The school also has records. I have broken the record for 1 mile (1600 meters) set by a person 24 years ago. "So I broke it after 24 years," He says.
These results enabled him to participate in the national college championship in America. Although the races did not take place due to the pandemic, the organizers decided to give the swimmers the best time, the title "All American". Franci was one of them, as during qualifying he was ranked as the 14th best swimmer.
He is now a few weeks away from the start of qualifications for this year's national competitions.
He expects to improve his results over the next two years and represent Albania at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
"I am fully motivated to go to Paris, to train, to give my best and close it with great success after all those successes and failures, because without failures there is no athlete who has achieved!"
"I really want swimming to progress in Albania, because it is my past and I have seen with my own eyes what kind of conditions the world has and what conditions Albania has. We have two 50 meter pools that are open. During the Summer for three months, it competes and trains in them, but during the spring, autumn, and winter, which is most of the year they are not used and this is an aspect where it should be invested to have 50-meter indoor pools because it would have been a treasure for swimming," says Franci.
In addition to his family in Albania, Franci says that he was greatly helped by an American family that accompanied him throughout the trip.
However, he adds that swimming is an expensive sport and that he now needs more financial support.
"We have racing suits, training suits, hoods, goggles, we have pool costs, you have to pay the coach, and these go pretty high if you put them together. Depending on where you train," he concludes.