With Olympic medallists Graeme Smith and David Davies among his predecessors, 1500m freestyle specialist Chris Alderton has some impressive footsteps to follow. But a bronze medal at the recent European Junior Championships suggests that he is on the right track.

Chris Alderton had a difficult decision to make when he was 16 – a decision that many teenagers would have found tough to deal with. The Wear Valley swimmer was offered the chance to accept a three-year scholarship to live, study and – more importantly – to train solidly on Australia’s Gold Coast. A good vacation? No chance. Going to live down under meant being away from his family for long spells and leaving his friends behind – not to mention the disruption to his education.
But Alderton is a teenager with a real focus and desire to succeed, especially in swimming. So it was no surprise that, having taken advice from a number of sources, the freestyler decided to embark on a new adventure in what was already a blossoming early career. He jumped at the chance to train at the Southport School in Queensland with some of Britain’s most promising young swimmers, and it’s a move he has never regretted. ‘I’m loving it,’ he enthuses. ‘It was a really hard decision for me to decide whether I wanted to come to Australia to train.’

So hard, in fact, that Chris, who also trains with Durham University Aquatics, took over five weeks to make his mind up. He used that time wisely, though, consulting his family, friends, fellow swimmers and coach, before eventually making his decision. It was also a decision supported by his mum, Janet, who enrolled him for swimming lessons through the local council when he was six. He has never looked back.

Alderton’s specialist event is the 1500m freestyle and he provided a glimpse of his potential in August 2003 by winning a silver medal at the European Youth Olympic Festival in Paris.
Chris also shone at the ASDA-sponsored British Championships in Manchester this year, proving the benefits of his time in Oz. He registered three personal best times and won silver in the 1500m with an impressive 15min 29.31sec, a drop of 19 seconds from his 2003 Paris time. But records are nothing new to him. He broke David Stacey’s 1981 800m freestyle record with a time of 8min 25.21sec at the North East district championships. ‘I was really happy with the way I performed in Manchester, especially with my PBs. I’ve been working hard in Australia. It took me little bit of time to adjust to the way of life and being away from my family, which was difficult, but once I’d been there for a couple of months I settled in really well. It’s perfect really where I am. I’m on campus and have a gym, swimming pools and my classrooms all within walking distance, so I don’t have to worry about anything.’

EXTENDED STAY
So much so that Chris is planning to extend his stay once his three-year scholarship reaches an end. He plans to stay at the school and get a job, although swimming is his main priority and focus for the future.

‘I was training hard before I left for Australia, but I’ve been training even harder there. We’re training twice a day and doing a lot of gym work, which I’ve enjoyed. I’ve definitely improved since I’ve been here. It’s a great set-up and a real learning experience. I knew that if I didn’t say “yes” to going to Australia then I’d be missing the opportunity of a lifetime.’

Chris competed in this year’s Australian age group championships in Brisbane, winning a bronze medal in the 1500m freestyle. He also recorded personal best times in the 200m butterfly and 200 individual medley. More recently, he was thrilled to collect the 1500m bronze medal at the European Junior Championships in Budapest – two places better than the fifth he achieved in 2004. ‘I feel fantastic,’ he beamed. ‘It means so much to me to medal at my last junior meet and to do it in front of my parents is amazing. It’s about time I swam a PB. I knew I was ranked third going into the race, but I didn’t feel the pressure to perform from others. I put it on myself, which makes things easier for me. Training in Southport has helped me so much. I train and race outside, which was obviously beneficial for me here.’ He added: ‘I’m really happy with the way I’m swimming at the moment. It is hard because I miss my family and my friends, but I’m settled and enjoying the lifestyle. I get the chance to go home and see my mum and the rest of the family at Christmas and other holidays and we’re always in contact on the phone and by email.’

Chris’s mum sends parcels to remind him of home, but is happy that her son is testing his swimming potential and bidding to be one of Great Britain’s future Olympic medal-winners.

‘Chris took a lot of time to make his decision,’ said Janet. ‘I didn’t want to rush him. I wanted it to be his decision. Of course I was there to support him, but it was a big, life-changing move, and I felt he had to be certain he wanted to go to Australia and take the chance to become a better swimmer. I’m so glad it’s worked out so far. Chris is loving his school work and his training, and he’s enjoying living in Australia, so I’m very happy. We all miss him but we know this is a fantastic opportunity.’
Chris knows how to relax, too. ‘I’ve been playing the guitar for a while,’ he says. ‘It’s nice because it takes my mind off swimming. It relaxes me. I play a blue Fender guitar, but I have not got that in Oz. I have a Gibson guitar with me. I’m always practising in between my lessons at school. I’m starting to play more classical stuff now and learning how to play properly. I’m a big fan of Metallica and heavy metal music, but classical rock is what I like to play. I’ve played at school quite a few times and I’ve also played in a bar with a mate, but we didn’t get any money. It’s just good fun. I started playing about three and a half years ago. My dad used to play quite regularly and I used to mess around with the guitar whenever he’d finished.’

Chris has high hopes of competing in the next Olympics in Beijing in 2008, but with the Commonwealth Games and a string of other international events also on the horizon, he is happy to bide his time before making a real impact in the sport.

ALWAYS FOCUSED
‘I’ve always been focused, it’s just the way I am,’ he said. ‘I suppose I had to be because of the training schedules. You’re up in the morning for a few hours’ work in the pool and then you are back in the pool in the evening for a few more hours. Then there’s the dry-land work, so you have to be motivated. I graduate in November, so then I’ve got to see if I can stay in Australia longer. I’ve been happy with my studies and my swimming has been improving, so I think the best option is for me to stay.’





Courtsey of Swimming Times magazine

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