Sara Isaković- od Slovenije, preko olimpijske medalje do Berklija

Intervju je uradila saradnica SwimOn-a Katarina Kučuk, bivša plivačica i student Prirodno-matematičkog fakulteta u Beogradu

Sara Isaković je najuspešnija slovenačka plivačica. Sa samo 20 godina je Sloveniji donela prvu olimpijsku medalju u plivanju, plivajući tada u finalu brže od svetskog rekorda. Danas za SwimOn govori o svojim počecima, novoj poziciji u slovenačkom plivanju kao i o tome šta joj je sve ovaj sport doneo.

SwimOn: Kako su izgledali tvoji plivački počeci, zašto si se baš odlučila za plivanje?

Sara: Oduvek sam volela vodu. Upoznala sam plivanje kao veoma mala zato što mi je mama bila plivačica. Putovali smo po čitavom svetu zbog profesije mog oca, tako da sam svoje detinjstvo provela u hotelskim bazenima gde sam se igrala u vodi i vežbala svoju tehniku. Kada sam imala 7 godina, priključila sam se plivačkom klubu i uskoro je postalo očigledno da sam talentovana. Sa mojom snažnom radnom etikom, nastavljala sam da napredujem svakodnevno i moja karijera se razvijala u dobrom pravcu. Ja sam po prirodi takmičar i oduvek sam uživala da se trkam, pogotovu sa mojim bratom blizancem. To je nešto što mi je zaista pomoglo da se razvijem u pravog takmičara i da ispunim svoje snove.

SwimOn: Mogli smo da pročitamo da si postala nova direktorka PZS. Kakva će biti tvoja zaduženja?

Sara: Da, tačno, ali još uvek nije sve gotovo. Izabrana sam za tu poziciju, ali ću i dalje da radim na svojoj karijeri psihologa u Dubaiju. Biti direktor je više funkcija za mene, ne i pravi posao jer od toga ne mogu da živim. Nadam se da ću pomoći koliko god mogu, pogotovu sa sponzorima i promocijom sporta uopšte.

SwimOn: U Srbiji mnogi sportovi postanu popularniji nakon uspeha sportista u istim. Ti si ostvarila ogroman uspeh na Olimpijskim igrama u Pekingu osvojivši srebrnu medalju i usput plivajući brže od tadašnjeg svetskog rekorda. Da li misliš da je plivanje postalo popularniji sport u Sloveniji od tada?

Sara: Hehe, e to baš ne znam, ali znam da deca koja plivaju znaju za mene i maštaju kako će i oni jednog dana osvojiti olimpijsku medalju. Mislim da je veoma bitno da deca imaju nekoga na koga će moći da se ugledaju i kažu: “Hej! Moguće je! Sara je uspela!” To im definitivno daje više od nade da je olimpijska medalja dostižna dokle god veruješ u sebe, vredno radiš i ne odustaješ. Mislim da je ista situacija i u Srbiji nakon Čavićevih medalja. Zaista pomaže kada neko “preskoči prepreku” i učini nešto “nemoguće”. Onda postaneš uzor, inspirišeš decu i pomažeš da sport postane popularniji.

SwimOn: U poslednje vreme, u slovenačkom plivanju se pojavilo zaista puno mladih, a izuzetno kvalitetnih plivača. Šta mislis da je uzrok tome? Kvalitetan rad sa njima od malena, jednostavno dobra generacija ili nesto treće?

Sara: Mi imamo zaista puno potencijala u slovenačkom plivanju, to je sigurno. Mislim da su oni veoma motivisani i spremni da rade – to je generalno osobina svih naših plivača. Oni razumeju da uspeh dolazi samo uz vredan rad. Naši treneri su profesionalni i iskusni, ali ipak bih volela da vidim i neke inovativnije načine treninga. Ponekad se treneri drže isključivo stvari i tehnika koje znaju umesto da konstantno traže nove načine da se poboljšaju. Takođe, imati ovako dobru generaciju mladih plivača je sjajna stvar za našu zemlju, ali njima će biti potrebna pomoć i snaga da dođu na “veliku scenu” (svetska i evropska prvenstva, Olimpijske igre) zato što je, na kraju, to ono što se najviše računa. Zaista se nadam da će oni biti sposobni da naprave taj prelaz iz juniorske u seniorsku kategoriju, da sačuvaju te sjajne veštine i motivaciju za godine koje dolaze i da jednog dana donesu kući novu olimpijsku medalju.

SwimOn: Studirala si na jednom od najprestižnijih svetskih univerziteta, Berkliju. Kakva iskustva nosiš odatle?

Sara: Imala sam sjajno i nezaboravno iskustvo na Berkliju. To me je nateralo da pomerim svoje granice i dozvolilo mi da radim na sebi u akademskom smislu, da razvijam svoja interesovanja van plivanja. Po mom mišljenju, svaki sportista treba da ima šansu da nastavi studije jer na taj način širi svoje vidike i to mu pomaže da shvati da postoji toliko fascinantnih stvari kojima može da se zanima. Još važnije je da mu to pomaže da izraste u jednu mladu, nezavisnu osobu, pošto nauči da kuva, sprema, uči, pliva i živi bez ičije pomoći u stranoj zemlji. To je zaista neverovatna prilika koju bih preporučila bilo kom mladom sportisti. Ukoliko imaš velike sportske snove i uz to si odličan student, postoji puno načina da iskombinuješ sport i obrazovanje na vrhunskom nivou i da se razvijaš u kompletnu osobu.

SwimOn: S obzirom na to da si diplomirala psihologiju, koliko ti je to pomoglo prilikom sportske karijere, priprema pred trku, spremanja za velika takmičenja?

Sara: Najsmešnija stvar je da mi je ta mentalna osetljivost bila nekako prirodna, na neki način sam znala te mentalne trikove mnogo pre nego što sam počela da studiram psihologiju. Razumela sam moć uma kao veoma mala (kada sam imala otprilike 10 godina) i vežbala sam vizualizovanje i tehnike disanja kako bih se smirila, izgradila samopouzdanje i ostala motivisana usput postavljajući visoke ciljeve. Upravo zbog ovoga sam se zainteresovala za psihologiju (zato što sam shvatila da zaista pomaže!) i odlučila za studije u toj oblasti. Sada je moj posao da podelim svoje znanje i iskustvo sa mlađim plivačima, trenerima i roditeljima, da treniram njihove umove da budu fleksibilniji i da im pomognem da ostvare svoj maksimalni potencijal.

SwimOn: Koje je najlepše mesto koje si posetila zahvaljujući plivanju?

Sara: Rio de Ženeiro. Ove godine sam imala privilegiju da idem u Rio kao ambasador slovenačkih sportista, da navijam za svoje prijatelje i uživam u olimpijskoj atmosferi. Nikada nisam bila u gradu koji je tako veličanstven i koji oduzima dah kao Rio. Ali naravno, Beograd i Bled svakako spadaju u najlepše.

Sara Isakovic is the most successful Slovenian swimmer. At the age of 20, she brought a first Olympic swimming medal for Slovenia, swimming faster than the world record then. Today, for SwimOn she is talking about her beginnings, her new position in the Slovenian swimming and what swimming has brought to her.

SwimOn: What were your first swimming years like and why did you choose swimming?

Sara: I’ve always loved the water. I was introduced to swimming at a very young age because my mother was a swimmer. We travelled all around the world due to my father’s profession, so I spent most of my childhood in hotel pools where I played in the water and practiced my technique. At 7 years of age I joined a swim club, and soon enough it was obvious that I was talented. With my hard work ethic, I kept improving and my career unfolded in a naturally progressing manner. At heart I was a racer and always enjoyed competing, especially with my twin brother. It’s something that really helped me develop into a tough, fierce competitor and achieve my dreams.

SwimOn: We had a chance to read that you became a new director of PZS. What would be your duties?

Sara:Yes true, but it all still needs to be finalized. I got elected, but I will continue to build my psychology career here in Dubai. Being a director is more of a function for me, not a full time job because I cannot make a living from it. I hope I can help in any way I can, especially with sponsors and promotion of the sport itself.

SwimOn: In Serbia, many sports become more popular after the success of athletes in the same. You have achieved huge success at the Olympics in Beijing, winning the silver medal and swimming faster than the world record. Do you think that swimming has become a more popular sport in Slovenia since then?

Sara:I think it’s really important for kids to have someone to look up to and say ‘Hey! It’s possible! Sara did it!’ It definitely gives them more hope that even an Olympic medal is reachable, as long as you really believe in yourself, work hard and never give up. I think the same goes for Serbia and Cavic’s medal. It helps when someone ‘brakes the barriers’ and achieve the ‘impossible.’ You become a role model, inspire kids and help the sport become more popular.

SwimOn: Lately, we have seen a lot of young but highly capable swimmers in the Slovenian swimming scene. What do you think is the cause for this, high quality training process, just a good generation, or something else? 

Sara:We have a lot of young potential in Slovenian swimming, that’s for sure. I think they are very motivated and willing to work hard- it’s a general characteristic of all our swimmers. They understand success only comes with a lot of hard work. Our coaching staff is professional and experienced, however, I would like to see more new innovative ways of training. Sometimes coaches tend to stick to ‘what they know’ instead of constantly looking for new way to improve and get better. Also, having a fast generation of youngster is a great asset for our country, but these swimmers also need to power through and make it on the ‘big’ stage (World Championships, Europeans, Olympics), because in the final end that’s what counts the most. I hope they will be able to transition their excellent skills and motivation for years to come (from youth to senior category) and one day bring home another Olympic medal.

SwimOn: You were studying at one of the world’s most prestigious universities, Berkeley. What experience did you bring from there?

Sara: I’ve had the most rewarding and unforgettable experience at Berkeley. It pushed my limits and allowed me to excel on the academic level, developing my passions and interests outside of swimming. In my opinion every athlete should have the chance to pursue studies, as this widens your horizons and helps you realize there are other fascinating things in life that you can occupy your mind with. More importantly it helps you grow into an independent young human being, as you learn to cook, clean, study, swim and live by yourself in a foreign country. It’s a lifelong benefit, which I would recommend to any young student athlete. If you dream big, and stay an excellent student, there are opportunities out there which allow you to combine sports and education at the best level, and shape you into a worldly person.

SwimOn: Given the fact that you graduated in psychology, how much has it helped you in your career, preparation for the race, training for the big events? 

Sara: The funniest thing is that my mental toughness came naturally to me, I’ve somehow known the mental tricks way before I even started studying psychology. I understood the power of the mind at a very early age (from around 10 years onwards) and practiced visualizing and breathing techniques to calm myself down, build confidence, and stay motivated by setting high goals and dreams along the way. It is because of this that I got interested in psychology (because I realized it works!), and pursued studies in this field. Now my job is to share my knowledge and experiences with the younger swimmers, coaches and parents, train their minds to be resilient, and help them achieve their maximum potential.

SwimOn: What is the most beautiful place you have visited because of swimming?

Sara: Rio de Jenairo. This year I had the privilege to go to Rio Olympics as the ambassador of Slovenian athletes, cheer for my friends, and enjoy the Olympic spirit. I’ve never been to a city which is as majestic and as breathtaking as Rio. But of course, Belgrade and Bled are the prettiest.