Home|Sports|Taylor remains optimistic; looking forward to next seasonSports
Simba FrenchSend an emailAugust 9, 2023 26 4 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email
This past season has been nothing short of remarkable for Bahamian swimmer Lamar Taylor. Looking ahead to next season in collegiate and international action, especially with the 2024 Paris Olympics looming, the Bahamian is looking to surpass what he did this season and put on a show in the pool.
The Henderson State University swimmer enters his fourth season with that school and prepares for an Olympic year. He will look to defend his three National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division II swimming titles and will look to make his debut at the Olympic level after swimming in two World Aquatics Swimming Championships.
At the 2023 NCAA Division II Swimming and Diving Championships back in March, the Bahamian was able to touch the wall first in the 50-yard free with a time of 19.24 seconds. He then won the 100-yard back with a time of 46.42 seconds. Taylor wrapped up his individual competition with a time of 42.30 seconds in the 100-yard free, winning that event. He knows that he has put a target on his back and he, along with his coach Scott Serio, has begun looking at ways to improve.
“I feel like endurance is one of the big things that I need to fix just because I can go out with them. I just need to be able to bring it back with them after the turn, so endurance is one thing and one of the major things. I also need to be stronger. I just feel like I need to put on at least five to six pounds of muscles and be a little bit stronger. I feel like once I’m able to do that and stay healthy, I should be competing with the top 16 guys in the world and be able to throw down some impressive times,” Taylor said.
Going to the Olympics has been a dream for him since he was a preteen. Now at 20 years of age, he cannot believe how close he is to being an Olympian. It was something he did not see happening when he was thinking about the Olympics at 12.
“I feel like every kid has that dream to be in the Olympics. I want to be the best in the world. I want to break world records and so on. Everyone has that dream, and when I was younger, I wanted to be on the Olympic team and be able the represent The Bahamas. I never actually thought it would be a reality or be this close. I never thought I would even fathom at a young age how far I would come and how close I would be,” he said.
Taylor gained some experience and knowledge at the just completed worlds. He said he learned a lot and knows what to focus on, especially after coming close to qualifying for the semifinals in the 50 meters (m) back. In that race, he missed out on the top 16 when he finished 17th overall in a time of 25.12 seconds. The 16th spot swimmer clocked 25.11 seconds, just a hundredth of a second faster.
“I was hoping that meet was going to give me my Olympic cut but, unfortunately, I just fell a little bit short,” Taylor said. “It did open up a lot of other events for me. I can notice that the 100m back is an event that I should start training a little bit more for because I just dropped a second and I’m only a second off the ‘B’ cut.”
He added: “I’ve talked to my coach and we have a game plan where I’m going to train, and then there’s some big meets that I could go to and try get my cuts then, so I won’t have to worry at nationals. I don’t want to go to the Olympics and just swim and come in the 40s or 50s. I want to be able to go there and try and make it something fun and make a final and be in contention and up there with the big names.”
Taylor, who attended Bishop Michael Eldon School in Freeport, Grand Bahama, and graduated from St. John’s College in New Providence, is hoping to change his race strategy. At worlds and the Olympics, the morning sessions are the heats and the evening sessions are for the semifinals and finals.
“One big thing that I’m going to have to change and work on is just being able to get up in the morning and drop extremely fast times where I can come back comfortably in the semifinals. I don’t swim that well in the mornings. I always have a better night swimming and a better final swim,” Taylor said.
At most of his meets, Taylor has his parents – Lester and Gena Taylor – are there supporting him. The younger Taylor doesn’t take the parental support for granted, as they would be proud of him even if he wasn’t this good at swimming.
“They always support me and they always push me,” Taylor said. “Once I knew that, I give it all I got. I’m happy with that. As for pressure, my mom and dad never put any pressure on me to be the best. They are happy and content with almost whatever level I am at, but me personally, I want to keep pushing.”
Taylor is looking to take up the sport professionally after he finishes Henderson State. It is one of the goals that he wants to pursue.