Meet Malta’s Olympian: After London And Rio, Flag Bearer Andrew Chetcuti Is Diving Into Tokyo With A Calm Confidence
With two Olympic Games under his belt, Andrew Chetcuti is Malta’s most experienced athlete heading to the Tokyo 2020 Games.
Since 2012, the swimmer has represented the islands on the biggest sporting stage in the world, putting in respectable performances in the 100-metre freestyle that have inspired younger generations to follow in his pioneering footsteps.
And in just a few days, the 28-year-old swimmer is set to stand on the block once more, showcasing everything Malta has to offer in the pool, in what may very well be his final showing before bowing out of the Olympic Games.
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“I will be giving my absolute best at the Games,” Chetcuti told Lovin Malta. “I’ve done my work in the pool and gym and I know what I’m capable of and hopefully I’ll make my family, my country and myself proud,” he said.
Chetcuti’s ticket to the Olympics is the culmination of hours and years of hard work and sacrifices, all of which come down to one race of a minute or less.
Unlike other local athletes, Chetcuti had the privilege of being exposed to an international swimming community and coaching staff having been brought up in the United Arab Emirates before heading to the United States to continue his swimming career along with his studies.
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The exposure has been invaluable to his development as a swimmer, which sees him hold seven national records, five individual and two relays.
“While I was still swimming in college, we’d have swim meets scheduled every two weeks, so you’d get used to racing nonstop whether you were rested or exhausted,” he said. “The race-focused mentality really helped and it’s great to see now that Malta is adopting this with more frequent time trials occurring throughout the season to give our swimmers the opportunity to race as much as possible”.
Those opportunities are already bearing fruit, with 16-year-old swimmer Sasha Gatt showing huge promise after smashing multiple national records this year alone before being selected to join Chetcuti at the Olympic Games.
“I fully believe that one day Malta will win an Olympic medal,” Chetcuti continued. “The big push needs to come in youth sports development and better balancing of the academic and athletic dynamic. We need to move away from the mentality of sports being a distraction from school and see it more as a tool for the development of important life skills”.
Like an itch that won’t go away, local athletes have long called for a cumulative change in attitude towards sports to a point where it isn’t sidelined but seen as a serious career path for younger generations.
After all, Malta has its fair share of talented athletes making strides both nationally and internationally.
In addition to Chetcuti and Gatt, four athletes will be heading up to compete at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games including Yazmin Zammit Stevens, who is the first female to represent Malta in weightlifting at the Games, and Matthew Abela, the first person to represent Malta in badminton at the Games.
For most, it will be their first time at the Olympics. For Chetcuti, it’s his third-consecutive showing after London in 2012 and Rio in 2016.
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“Enjoy the moment! The hard work is done and you deserve the right to be here,” Chetcuti said as he imparted advice to his fellow peers. “There is nothing like the Olympic Games so make sure you all allow yourself some time to soak it all in and process that you’re one of the smallest group of people on the planet that has the privilege of calling themselves an Olympian”.
Chetcuti has been bestowed with the honour of not only representing Malta in the water but in ceremonies too after it was revealed that he would be one of two flag bearers at the opening and closing ceremonies of the Games.
And this isn’t the first time the swimmer has waved the George Cross around the Olympic Circuit, having been chosen as flag bearer in Rio too.
“Being able to lead my nation out on the world’s biggest sporting stage is something I’ll never forget,” he said.
As Chetcuti prepares for his big race on 27th July, the swimmer has shifted his training to focus on more speed work in recovery with weekly stints in the gym to work on quick movement and explosiveness needed for the day.
And like everyone else, the COVID-19 pandemic had seriously disrupted his disciplined swimming routine, forcing the US-based swimmer to come to Malta for some time to recoup.
“I was actually furloughed from work in 2020 and had to return to Malta while I was off work, preventing me from training in my usual environment in the US,” he said.
“Thankfully, I had a great support system in the form of the ASA, MOC and my club team, Sirens, which allowed me to return to some form of normalcy as soon as possible leading up to the Games”.
With less than two weeks to go before Chetcuti takes his place at the block, the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games couldn’t look more different. No spectators will be allowed in the stands and athletes will be kept in separate bubbles, meaning they won’t be able to attend different events to cheer on their peers.
Nonetheless, Malta’s chosen athletes are set to go and give it their all, with Chetcuti focused and dialled in for his third consecutive appearance at the prestigious Games.
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