Interview: Daniel Sliwinski (Commonwealth Games 2010)

Bronze medallist Daniel Sliwinski talks about his frustration at his first Commonwealth accolade, “Delhi belly” and how he once contemplated quitting swimming altogether.

As Sliwinski strides out to the blocks at the Commonwealth Games the first thing that strikes you is his sheer size, not forgetting he his among other swimmers who aren’t exactly tarnished with the reputation of being small and fragile. But for someone that towers 6ft5ins over the pool it is refreshing how firmly his feet are secured on the ground.

The 20-year-old from Penwortham lined up alongside Liam Tancock, Antony James and Simon Burnett to claim bronze in the 4x100m medlay relay. But winning bronzeat his first international senior meet wasn't good enough for a young man who at just 18-years-old beat Duncan Goodhew’s Olympic gold medal winning time at Moscow in 1980 to smash the British youth and World youth record.

On his first senior podium triumph Sliwinski blamed an incredibly unlucky injury plagued season, he said: "It was good but frustrating because I had an injury corrupted season and I reckon we could have pushed for gold.

“For me that medal wasn't a medal for the race but a medal for getting through the season. To get through one broken wrist is one thing but to have two within six months is mentallypretty challenging.

Photo (right) by TVPAV.com [All Rights Reserved]

"I would have liked to have gone a little bit faster but that's always going to be the case. I'm happy I came away with the experience; I suppose it's quite rare that you go to your first senior meet and come back with a medal. I've got a few extra points in the bag ahead of the Worlds next year and the Olympics in 2012."

Individually Sliwinski was slightly off the pace in the 50m and 100m breaststroke finishing sixth and eighth respectively. But once again was forced to battle against the elements after the curry-lover was struck down with Delhi belly.

With others moaning about the conditions in Delhi Sliwinski just got on with it and while admitting it 'wasn't a painful' experience he can't honestly say how much it affected his performance.

He said: "I don't think you can go to India and say you've got a way that's 100% bullet proof to not get Delhi belly, you either get it or you don't. Ironically I got it when I stopped eating curry. It's draining but everyone is in the same boat so you just get on with it. It's just an inconvenience really.

“You could add in how much did it affect me in terms of would I have gone quicker if I was 100% - I don't know. I couldn't possibly answer that question.”

For many young athletes the prospect of heading out to a developing country to compete in a multi-stage sports event for the first time would be a daunting one. But the former Bolton high school student seemed to take it in his stride with ease, just as it seems he approaches life in general.

He said that the whole Commonwealth experience 'wasn't like a shock or bewildering but obviously really enjoyable.'

“It is one of the few multi-stage sports events you can go to, other than the Olympics, so you’ve just got to try and enjoy every moment."

As well as preparing himself for competition there was the added danger of the reported conditions out in Delhi. The Athletes Village was rumoured to be unsatisfactory and even snakes were found in some rooms but once again that was something that didn't trouble the 20-year-old.

"Before every event there is always some form of negative headlines. I'm pretty sure there will be some for the Olympics, where something won't be ready and then miraculously it is. I think it was something out of nothing and a third world country was an easy pick for the media."

But Sliwinski could have been watching someone else pick up his medal after nearly deciding to quit the sport that had played such a major role in his life since he was five-years-old.

Approaching 16-years-old and ready to enter adulthood Sliwinski took time out to assess his options. No-one can question how demanding a sport swimming is and not many people would blame a teenager for not wanting to wake up before sunrise to head down to West View Leisure centre to begin training.

Sliwinski had lost his love for the sport, he said: “I took a couple of months out just because I just got frustrated and didn't know whether I wanted to continue. I was stuck between two Islands.

“I had just got bored and realised it was a part of my life where I had gone through school sacrificing friends. I didn’t know whether to try and catch up with all my school friends or just carry on with all my friends from Swimming and I chose swimming.”

And once he made that choice he threw everything into his swimming seemingly adopting the saying ‘if you’re going to do something you may as well do it properly.’

He said: “Hand on heart I didn’t start putting everything into training until about four-years ago. I moved back home and started to train a bit more seriously. I got some British records and that is when I really started to knuckle down.”

With a bronze medal already under his belt at his first senior meet you would think his decision to continue swimming was justified but for Sliwinski it has not fully paid off just yet.

He said: “It's slowly paying off, I wouldn’t say it's fully paid off yet. It will pay off when I’m in my forties and I can lie in bed past four o’clock in the morning.”