Barbadian swimmer Alex Sobers made a massive slash towards qualifying for the rescheduled 2020 Olympic Games, set for this summer in Tokyo, Japan.
The 22-year-old clocked a new national record of 3 minutes 53.19 seconds in the 400 metre freestyle on Thursday night at the ISCA International Senior Cup in Florida.
Sobers not only removed his previous mark of 3:55.50, but met the Olympic “B” qualification standard of 3:53:58. He will have to swim 3:46.78 to meet the “A” standard.
Athletes who achieve the “”A standard automatically qualify to participate in the Olympics. Those reaching “B” standards are invited to the Games and selected by their National Olympic Committees.
Sobers is scheduled to compete in the 200 metre freestyle tonight.
“I am really excited and proud of myself for making the cut. It is proof that all sacrifices and hard work was worth it. This is just the start. After this meet the hard work will really start in preparation to get even faster and place higher at the Olympics,” Sobers told NATION SPORT.
He made his Olympics debut almost five years ago in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (AGB)
