Ariana Dirkzwager is from Wichita, Kansas. Before qualifying for the Games, she recently spoke with 11Alive about her excitement about representing Laos.
ATLANTA — A Georgia Tech sophomore is headed to Paris for the Olympics after qualifying for the Laos swim team. She will compete in the 200 freestyle.
Ariana Dirkzwager is from Wichita, Kansas. Before qualifying for the Summer Games, she spoke with 11Alive and shared her excitement about representing Laos and its culture at Georgia Tech.
“I’m already imagining myself at the pool and I’m just starry-eyed. Thinking about it, I’m just amazed because I can imagine how big it’s going to be, how crowded it’s going to be, how many fast people are going to be there,” she added. “I think for Laos in particular, I don’t think they’ve ever really had an Asian-American swimmer there.”
Dirkzwager’s mother is originally from Laos and currently has family there. She added that as she gets older, she identifies more with her culture and heritage. She said representing the country motivates her to be a role model for younger generations. She added that sports are not very popular in the country.
“It’s very inspiring to have younger kids look up to you as a role model. It’s definitely a great motivator and I feel motivated to swim faster for them,” she added.
Dirkzwager added that being a part of the Georgia Tech diving and swimming team has been a motivating experience. The sophomore will be coached by head coach Courtney Shealy Hart, a two-time Olympic gold medalist.
“I feel like being in that environment helps me go faster because it’s pretty motivating. You have someone who’s fast and has been through all of these things,” she added.
Dirkzwager added that having a chance to compete in the Summer Games was an exciting experience that “just doesn’t seem real.”
Dirkzwager said the Olympics are when swimming is really showcased.
“It’s the fact that it happens once every four years, I think, especially for swimmers, and because we don’t have an NBA that goes on every year. We don’t have a Super Bowl that goes on. And so the Olympics are kind of the big event that everybody trains for and I feel like swimming isn’t as big a deal as football, like baseball,” she added.
11Alive will follow Dirkzwager’s journey to Paris as well as dozens of other athletes with ties to the Peach State.
