Chan sets lofty goals for senior season
Sewanhaka HS's Olivia Chan wins the 200 yard IM in a time of 2:04.16. (Nov. 5, 2011) Credit: Bob Mitchell
With five state titles and three Nassau County individual records, Olivia Chan has had a career any high school swimmer would dream of. And with a year left, she believes she still has room to grow.
"I know I haven't reached my full potential yet," she said.
Chan, a junior who swims for Sewanhaka and attends New Hyde Park High School, capped her season with two state championships. She won the 100-yard breaststroke in 1:02.76, breaking her own Nassau record, and she won the 200 individual medley in 2:03.57.
Even with her success, Chan sets new goals. She swims year-round and she is training for the Olympic trials this summer in the 100-meter breaststroke. She will also be chasing her biggest dream: the state record in the 100 breaststroke (1:01.10).
"I keep setting the bar higher because I believe I can do better," she said. "Next year I just want to defend my state titles, but that is my biggest goal ."
When she's not training she's studying. Already being recruited by colleges, Chan excels in the classroom and said she hopes to attend an Ivy League school. So, does she have time to be a normal teenager?
"I might not be able to do things regular high school kids can do, but I can find time to balance my schoolwork and training and also have some fun," she said. "I just want to thank . . . my coaches, my parents, my sister, and my teammates, them being there for me made me the swimmer I am today."
