Swimming was always an important part of Brendon Smith’s life, whether he was watching his two older sisters compete or sitting at home cheering on his sporting heroes Ian Thorpe and Grant Hackett.
Now the Seasons Living Ambassador is set to follow in the footsteps of the two sporting greats, after he qualified for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Smith qualified for the games after claiming the fastest time in the Men’s 400m individual medley.
“My swimming journey began when I was very young and before I could even walk,” he said.
“Mum and dad had swimming backgrounds and actually met each other on a lifesaving team and my older sisters were big in the competition scene before I started, so that’s where I got my passion to become a competitive swimmer.”
The Griffith University Club competitor made his debut at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, bringing home a Bronze medal at the same event.
While Smith has already achieved significant milestones during his competitive swimming career, the Seasons ambassador has plenty left in the tank.
“The best advice I’ve ever been given is to seize every opportunity,” he said.
“I can’t even begin to tell you the amount of times saying yes to things has opened doors for me… I like to be present and to do as much as I can with the time I’ve got – that’s something I live by every day.”
When he’s not training hard or breaking new records in the pool, Smith is likely fulfilling his other commitments as a lifesaver and finance student.
But the Olympian also enjoys visiting the Seasons retirement living communities, where he recently sat down with resident Robin Gallen to discuss all things swimming.
Ms Gallen is part of the Seasons swimming group who visit the local pool every week, as part of the community lifestyle calendar.
The Seasons resident who grew up in Canterbury, in New South Wales, said she was taught how to swim through a school-based program.
“I just fell in love with swimming right from the start,” she said.
“The best advice I can give anyone is to learn to swim early and swim a lot because it’s really important for life skills.”
Ms Gallen said while eight-time Olympic medalist and freestyle champion swimmer Dawn Fraser has always been her role model in and out of the pool, she also felt immense pride to be represented by the current Australian swimming team.
Seasons is proud to support Brendon and wishes him and all the athletes representing Australia in Paris all the best.
For more information about Seasons Living or to book a tour at one of our retirement communities, visit seasonsliving.com.au
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