We asked Christian Sadie, a para swimmer who competed at the Commonwealth Games and the Tokyo Paralympics in 2021, to shed some light on how he goes about working under the pressure of preparing for big races and where his motivation stems from to have accomplished what he has since his international debut in 2017.
1. How did it feel to win a medal at the Commonwealth Games?
I feel very honoured to have achieved a podium finish and the opportunity to compete at the Commonwealth Games. I know I can't control anyone else’s race, so having executed my race the way I wanted to, I am pleased with what I achieved.
2. What did you focus on during your training that helped you achieve your goals?
Regarding specific tools or techniques in training that helped in my opinion would be being specific with what you do and understanding how what you are doing translates to racing. Additionally, training at different speeds and understanding how to transition in the race is also important.
3. How did you prepare in the months before the Commonwealth Games? Tell us more about your training.
At our senior nationals, I got an injury to my knee and this changed our training block leading up to the Commonwealth Games. I had rehab for my knee three times a week with swimming focusing more on the upper body so as not to overload my knee. About a month and a half out of the Games, I was back to normal training and still doing rehab, but able to kick and gym normally. This time was actually very fun even though I had an injury - my coaches and I worked around it and explored different ways of improving inside the pool. This has been very beneficial, even past the Games.
4. What was the last piece of advice your coachgave you before you competed?
“You know what to do” were the last words he said to me over the phone before I competed.
5. How did you prepare/warm up for your races at the Commonwealth Games?
My race prep consists of twenty minutes of stretching and activation, and then about a 1500-meter warm-up. The warm-up consists of a 200m swim, 200m kick, 100m pull, 200m IM, 200m drill, 4x50m sprint prep, 4 rounds of 2x50m descending, and then a dive or two to finish.
6. What are your “can’t live without” Speedo products (and why)?
My “can’t live without” Speedo products are my kickboard, snorkel and paddles. These three items are key to my everyday training. Besides that, the Speedo Fastskin kickboard is the best kickboard I have ever used.
7. What are your next goals? Can we expect to see some more medals and records broken soon?
My future goals revolve around improving. I have achieved a few silver medals and now a bronze, and I am keen to get a gold under my belt. To be fair, I can't control other people's races, so my goals are to keep improving and to compete at the next Paralympic World Championships and have some good momentum going into the Paris Games.
8. What does success in the pool look like to you?
Success in the pool to me is continuously improving, and as you get older and better it becomes harder to carry on that trend, but doing so is a success.
9. Who is your swimming idol and why?
My swimming idol would be Cameron van der Burgh. I am very lucky to have met and spent time with him at the previous Commonwealth Games that were held at Gold Coast in Australia. The reason why he is my idol is that he is someone who is very humble. He has not only achieved in the pool but outside of it as well. He seems to have taken all the lessons he has learnt in the pool and applied them to his life outside of swimming and has carried on to be successful.
10. What advice would you give to an aspiring swimmer?
The advice I would give is to swim your own race inside and outside of the pool. The only person you truly compete with is yourself.
We are proud to have Christian Sadie as part of our Elite Speedo Team. You can find out more about the rest of the team here.
To see more of Christian Sadie, you can follow him on Instagram @christian.sadie