Iceland review - 2016, Page 16

14 ICELAND REVIEW
ICELAND’S SWIMMING
SENSATION
Eygló, you had an impressive
2015. Can you give us a recap of
everything you accomplished athlet-
ically last year?
I qualified for the 2016 Summer
Olympics in Rio de Janeiro after setting
an Icelandic and Nordic record for the
200-meter backstroke. This past summer
I competed in the World Championships
in Kazan, Russia, where I reached the
finals in the 200-meter backstroke. In
December, I also swam in the 2015
European Championships in Netanya,
Israel, and earned two bronze medals in
the 100- and 200-meter backstrokes.
How do you mentally prepare before
each race?
Before the European and World
Championships, I just tried to stay calm
and not put too much pressure on myself
because I tend to do that a lot. The
best thing for me is just to try to relax!
I never perform any special rituals; the
only thing I consistently do is warm up
in front of the starting block.
Elliott Brandsma talks to swimmer
Eygló Ósk Gústafsdóttir about breaking back-
stroke records, representing Iceland at the 2016
Summer Olympics, and being named Iceland’s
2015 Sportsperson of the Year.
PHOTOS BY PÁLL STEFÁNSSON.
You are one of only five women to
have won Iceland’s Sportsperson of
the Year Award. What was your
reaction to winning the prize?
I was with one of my sisters, hanging out
at home. They notified me ten days prior
to the ceremony because they heard I
was going to be away when the award
was announced. I couldn’t stop smiling
when I found out, but I had to keep it
secret for ten days, which was really
difficult. Only my coach, boyfriend, and
parents knew about it. One of my sisters
accepted the award on my behalf, but
she didn’t know beforehand that I had
already won. It was fun to see her sur-
prised reaction at the ceremony when
they called my name.
What’s an average day of training
like for you?
It’s just waking up, going to morning
practice for one-and-a-half hours, eating,
relaxing, and then going to evening prac-
tice for another two-and-a-half hours.
I follow this routine every day of the
week, except Sundays. I don’t have a job
right now and I finished high school last
year [Eygló just turned 21]. I try to eat as
healthy as I can; I don’t follow a dietary
program or anything. The important
thing is to stay focused, train hard, and
not be lazy.
Right now you’re focusing on train-
ing for the Olympics, but what are
your plans post-Rio?
I intend to continue swimming compet-
itively after the 2016 Olympics, but I’m
actually planning on eventually going
to college to study nursing. That’s my
dream career. I’ve always been fascinated
with biology and helping people. This
fall, I finished cosmetology school so that
I can work as a make-up artist. I haven’t
done anything with it yet, but it’s nice to
have it, just in case.
When did you first decide that you
wanted to become a professional
swimmer?
I’ve been swimming ever since I was