E.Erkhes, Mongolian swimmer and an athlete of Swordfish Swimming Club is studying in the Spire Academy which is an international high school and post graduate sports performance training and education boarding school. He has won many international and domestic competitions. In 2018, he won the men's 200-meter backstroke at the Asian International School Championships in Shanghai, China. In 2019, he won seven gold and two silver medals at the Mongolian Junior and Youth Swimming Championships, 10 gold medals at the FINA World Aquatics Day 2019 competition and six gold and one silver medals at the Vista Cup. As the national record holder in 16 swimming events and distances, he qualified as a master of sports in the 100-meter backstroke at the Junior World Championships in 2021. We interviewed this talented athlete who you can easily know is fond of swimming. Let’s dive in and learn about the secret of his success and recent achievements. 

What inspired you to start swimming? 

I have been swimming since I was eight years old. The reason why I chose swimming is that I was on a trip with my family to a foreign country and I drowned in the hotel pool and my father saved me. At that time, I understood the significance and importance of swimming. Therefore, I decided to learn how to swim, thinking that learning to swim is a necessary skill in human life. Fortunately, that year, my school's swimming teacher suggested that I enter the school's swimming team, which marked the beginning of becoming an athlete for me.

Can you share about your first ever international competition experience? How was it? 

The International Schools’ Swimming Championship is held annually in Shanghai, China. My school’s swimming team participated in this competition. My first year, I went to this competition with my mother. Maybe because I was little, going to competitions felt like a trip to me. There were many good competitors at that time. The first time I saw a 50-meter pool, it seemed huge. The following year, I participated in that competition again and won the gold medal in the 200m backstroke. That was my first ever medal from an international competition.

Please share your impression of resetting the record of Mongolian swimming?  

Sure. It truly is a good feeling because I am ecstatic and proud to be a part of the history of water sports in Mongolia and promote swimming along with many good athletes.

Congratulations on studying at one of the best academies, “Spire Academy” and doing your training while studying. How did you connect to this academy?

Thank you. To have a look at it generally, the water sport in the United States is very developed and is doing very well. For instance, most of the world's best athletes are from the USA and train in the US. So I wanted to go to the United States and train with many great, skilled and experienced athletes and compete with good competitors to become a world-class swimmer. I believed that the “Spire Academy” could help me achieve this dream. So, I chose the “Spire Academy” to study and train. 

How does it feel to practice besides studying at an American high school?

Of course, I like it very much. I am proud to get high school education in the United States while training in an Olympics standard pool with a good swimming program. I have only been here for a while, but I have become very close with my coach and teammates. Training, classes and breaks go according to the planned schedule. Also, since training and classes are all concentrated in one campus, there are many advantages of studying while training, such as saving time and being responsible. 

You have been swimming for seven years for now. In your opinion, what aspect of swimming attracts you most?

I just love the feeling I get when I am swimming. It feels as if the water and I have become one thing and it honestly feels like flying in the air. And every time I show some achievement of swimming, I get more fond of this sport. 

Among all the competitions you have participated in, which one required you the most skills or patience?

The competition where I won my first medal was the most memorable. As I mentioned earlier, it was the International Schools’ Swimming Championship. I trained for a year to participate in the competition. It was nice to win a medal after all of my hard work. It felt like my efforts got paid back. Encouraged by the great result of my first ever international competition, I started succeeding in the next competition. In general, swimming is a battle against time and yourself. Well, it was the most memorable competition so far. But one of the tournaments that was a little bit overwhelming and difficult that made me nervous was the first World Championship. I was very intimidated to compete with the best athletes in the world, whose pictures and videos I had only seen online before.

With the help of swimming, was there any positive impact on you?

I got better at time management. Especially, because I have to manage both my school and training, and also the free time properly. Now, I am focusing more on losing weight, gaining muscles and developing a healthy body. 

Why do you think young children should swim?

From my perspective, playing and doing any sport has many benefits and impacts on an individual's physical and mental health. Sport does not only make a person persistent and purposeful, but also disciplines them to have a good time management skill and improves the body and makes them healthy. And I think the most important or vital thing I learned by doing sport is to understand how hard other athletes have tried and are putting their heart to get where they are now. For me, sport is all about respect.

Can you share your future plan with us? How will you use the things you learned from this academy in your future career?

Every athlete's dream is to participate in the Olympics with great athletes from around the world. However, it is not easy to get there. Before that there are many big steps to take and huge obstacles to face. One of the many big steps is getting into a good Division one university with a swimming team consisting of skillful swimmers. Swimming may seem like an individual sport from the appearance. But in reality, teamwork is very important. Moreover, one of the things I learned by going to the “Spire Academy” is that teamwork is fundamental to success, a great career and being a good athlete.