Swimming: Pool workouts perfect escape from quake ruins

Sophia Batchelor is talented and versatile. Photo / Swimming NZ

When Sophia Batchelor hits the pool at 4am these days she escapes to her own little world far from the devastation of the Christchurch earthquake.

Life has changed dramatically in a month for the promising New Zealand swimmer.

Her beautiful family home was left in ruins by the earthquake and she now lives with her parents and brother in a pokey student flat in the city.

Dudley Pool in Rangiora and Wharenui Sports Centre are the only pools open in Christchurch. Batchelor escapes to Dudley to prepare for this week's State Insurance New Zealand Open Championships, and beyond.

"Swimming has helped me get back to normal really," said the highly touted 15-year-old.

"It is the perfect escape from the mess around the city.

"When I am swimming I pretend that everything is okay and I go into my own little world. That is nice."

For a teenager, Batchelor has a remarkable outlook on life.

"Losing my house where we have lived for so many years was really sad," she said with obvious emotion in her voice.

"But it has taught us some important values that possessions are just possessions.

"What we have lost compared to others - who have lost their family members or have friends still missing - is nothing really."

Batchelor is trying to focus on a big 2011 after a coming of age season last year.

She broke one of New Zealand swimming's oldest age group records at the Junior Pan Pacific Championships in Hawaii and represented New Zealand at the World Short Course Champs in Dubai.

"Hawaii and Dubai were incredible experiences and being up against that top level of swimmer took me to another level."

But her buildup has been dislocated so she has lowered her expectations for the national championships which double as the trial for July's world championships.

"I know that people are expecting big things from me but I am not putting any pressure on myself.

"I will just go out and race as hard as I can and enjoy it."

Brett Naylor, who represented New Zealand at the 1976 Olympics in Montreal, and is a former coach of Batchelor, has no doubt of her ability.

"She has got a fantastic feel for the water - it's a gift," said Naylor, who owns the Aqua Gym that is two to three months away from reopening following the earthquake.

"Sophia is only young so it's a matter of managing her workload to keep her improving. She has a fantastic young coach [Leanne Speechley] and has enormous potential. She has the ability to go all the way."

So the obvious question for Naylor then is, is the London Olympics a step too far at her age?

"It is not beyond her at all," said the former coach of Anna Simcic.

"The best two swimmers from each event will go to London so it depends on her competition. But Sophia is so versatile and can compete in many events.

"She has all the talent in the world and the great thing is she works just as hard and is very disciplined in her training."

Batchelor dares to dream about donning the black cap at the Olympics in London 2012.

"It would be amazing to qualify for London and people have talked about that.

"I am going to give it my best, I can't say I definitely will but I will give it my best shot."

And this feisty teen has plenty to say if you ask whether her short-in-stature size is a comparative disadvantage.

"I am not the tallest swimmer but I make up for it with determination and speed of stroke to power through the water.

"My technique is pretty good and I have shown with my results in the past couple of years that I can swim fast times."

Last September she broke a remarkable 12 records at the New Zealand age group short course championships and in December took out a national open short course title and was the only swimmer to compete in the world short course championships.

Last month she broke eight national records at the national age group championships in Wellington including one of the oldest, held by the great Rebecca Perrott since 1976.

Last year she also broke another Perrott record that had stood for 34 years, at the Junior Pan Pacific Championships in Hawaii.

Batchelor has been breaking records since her international debut at 13 at the Pacific School Games in Australia, where she won four individual medals - gold (50m butterfly), silver (100m butterfly) and bronze (100m and 200m backstroke)and broke four New Zealand age group records.