Teen Olympian excited to compete in London

by Dave Delgado

Guam - 16-year-old swimmer Pilar Shimizu says she is very excited to be representing Guam at this year's Olympic Games in London. Since getting the confirmation Shimizu has increased her training workouts and nutrition in preparation for the games. Pilar will be competing in the 100-meter breaststroke looking to set a personal best time.

Shimizu told KUAM Sports, "I feel like the 100-breaststroke is my strongest event ever since I was 8-years old. I'm looking forward to representing my island and getting a best time, also looking forward to meeting new people and competing against the best in the world. The competition at the Olympics is going to be the highest level and I'm very excited to be exposed to that."

Pilar switched into high gear weeks before leaving to London using a strict schedule to help her increase her time in the pool. Shimizu will be one of the first athletes to compete for Team Guam at the games as she is scheduled to compete on July 29th.

She added, "What I did to prepare for the Olympics was make my swimming schedule much more intense than usual, swimming for at least 2 hours every day with two strength training session per week. I've also been watching what I've been eating and not eating junk food, trying to get more sleep. During the swim sessions I've focused more on breaststroke and kind of pushing the other events to the side just to focus on breaststroke and I have really been working with my coach to refine my technique and build up my stamina so I'll be perfect for race day."