Interview with 2016 Sportswoman of the Year, Alexus Laird |26 January 2017

‘If you want to be an elite athlete, act like it and be it’

It has not been too long now that we have been hearing Alexus Laird’s name among the top Seychellois athletes. The swimmer only began representing Seychelles back in 2015, with the aim of joining the country’s Indian Ocean Island Games (IOIG). There she made an instant impact and in 2015, she made it into the top five best female athletes of the year.

2016 though, was her year, as she established herself as Seychelles’ top swimmer, breaking a number of records that was held by previous Seychelles top female swimmer Shrone Austin.

The 2016 Sportswoman of the Year was not present to pick up her prize last Friday at the Sports Awards ceremony, but Sports NATION managed to get in touch with the South Africa-based swimmer through Facebook and what follows is the full interview.

Sports NATION: How does winning such a title change you?
Alexus Laird: I am so honoured to be chosen as Sports Woman of the Year among so many deserving women. I wouldn't say that winning such a title changes me, but simply gives me the support and confidence I need to further my career to a higher level.

Sports NATION: What do u feel it takes to win such a title?
Alexus Laird: From my perspective, it's taken years of hard work and dedication day in and day out. My everyday life is comparable to what people would look at as a sports camp. I swim nine sessions a week excluding weight training and core work. It's a year-round thing for me. This year, I took time off after Rio, but that's the most time I've taken off in years and I feel it is necessary moving into the next four-year cycle.

Sports NATION: How would you describe your 2016?
Alexus Laird: I would say I had better times in December of 2015, but the results continued to show into 2016. I had many good races in 2016 and placed well in the competitions I competed in. Considering I took over a month off after I competed in Rio, I felt very happy with my performances in the end of 2016. I now feel fresh and ready for a new year.

Sports NATION: What was your best moment in 2016?
Alexus Laird: My best moments of 2016 would either be placing 3rd in my heat at the Olympics and looking up to thousands of people, or winning the 50m backstroke at African Championships and hearing the Seychelles National Anthem being played.

Sports NATION: If you had been present to receive your award in person, how would you have reacted when your name was called?
Alexus Laird: I honestly would have been so shocked. I didn't expect to win, just thought I had a small chance.  Then I would have been extremely nervous to get up on stage, so it was best my uncle was there. I know he enjoyed it!

Sports NATION: How have you been adjusting to your new coach?
Alexus Laird: I cannot put into words how glad I am to be training here in South Africa at Seagulls. I came here for many reasons, but mainly because it was exactly the type of training I was looking for. I feel supported and feel I'm getting faster every week I'm looking forward to competing in 2017.

Sports NATION: What are your plans for 2017?
Alexus Laird: Starting in February, I have the Durban Grand Prix, CANA Zones, and Stellenbosh Grand Prix. In April I am swimming South African Nationals. After that there is a team camp in Doha, and after the camp we will go to the Mare Nostrum, a group of competitions based in Europe. From there we will zone in on World Championships in Budapest, Hungary.
After World Championships the main focus will be on Commonwealth Games in April of 2018.

Sports NATION: What do you feel needs to be done to further promote sports in Seychelles?
Alexus Laird: I feel we need to get local businesses to support our fellow sportsmen and sportswomen. I am not just speaking financially but we need the country to be interested in what our athletes are doing in sports. These are the men and women who are supporting THEIR country abroad.

Sports NATION: What is needed to perform at the level you are at?
Alexus Laird: I started at a level of nothing, with no resources. No massages, no ice baths, no fast skins, no weightlifting, just swimming. I was just a kid who went to practice every day. No one needs resources to get to an amazing level, they just need determination. Once you reach a point where you've done the most you can do, and you’re then ready to reach an elite level, that's when resources are required. At the level I am at now, I must focus on eating properly, I need a gym to train at, a recovery facility with ice baths and someone to give a massage at least weekly. But only in the past couple of years have I began needing that. Our athletes here in the Seychelles just need to focus on being the best they can be every day and I can guarantee they will see results simply from that.

Sports NATION: What do you feel can be done to further develop swimming in Seychelles?

Alexus Laird: As a country, our swimmers need to stop looking at each other as competition. It's normal to have healthy competition among one another that is good for racing. But, we must look outside the small walls we live in. My coach in South Africa constantly tells us to look up results for competitions around the globe. He doesn't want us to try to beat the swimmers in Africa, we must compare ourselves to swimmers at the highest level. Only then will we start raising our standards. When we compare ourselves to one another we only keep each other from rising to the top. Why not rise together? 


Sports NATION: Any advice to other sportsmen and women in Seychelles?

Alexus Laird: If I could give any advice to our sportsmen and women, it would be to invest in yourself. Don't spend the resources you have on things that won't better you as an athlete. If you want to be an elite athlete, act like it and be it. No one is going to pull you aside and tell you you’re the next Michael Phelps, you just need to become it and believe in yourself.