Exclusive: This Dubai swimmer hopes to get into France national team

Dubai - The young swimmer, who often trains at the majestic Hamdan Sports Complex in Dubai, will join the Stade Béthunois Pélican Club in France later this year

Six years ago, when the football world was under the spell of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, all Elias Ghoudane wanted to do was practice the keepy uppies.

“Playing football was my biggest passion until I was around six or seven,” said the 13-year-old Elias, who had moved to Dubai from France with his parents, Fatima and Zacharie, in 2009.

But Elias soon realised that he needed to become stronger to excel at a physical sport like football.

That was when his mother, a former professional horse rider in France, took him to the pool.

“My mother said swimming would help me develop my stamina and muscles. If I wanted to be good at football, I needed to be strong,” Elias recalled.

But what started as a fun activity, soon turned serious as Elias swapped the football field for the swimming pool and the Messis and Ronaldos gave way to Michael Phelps in his mind.

Now, six years later, this GEMS Metropole School (Dubai) student has broken several records in the UAE swimming competitions at the age group level, even earning a shot at breaking into the French junior national team.

“When I started swimming, it was for fun, you know, to keep myself in shape. And then once I started seeing some progress, I actually started swimming more and more. I started swimming three times a week and then I moved on to six or seven times a week. And once I started winning all my competitions, it really motivated me and that’s how my journey started,” said Elias.

The young swimmer, who often trains at the majestic Hamdan Sports Complex in Dubai, will join the Stade Béthunois Pélican Club in France later this year as he hopes to break into the French team.