My mother was crying, says Dubai swimmer who became African champion

Born in Venice, the city of canals, bridges and gondolas, Jasmine Eissa has a deep-seated desire to become an Olympic swimmer.

The Year 13 student at the GEMS Wellington Academy (Al Khail) has already made quite a splash in the pool, winning the 200m butterfly gold for Egypt at the African Junior Swimming Championships.

This 17-year-old prodigy, who shocked her coaches in Dubai three years ago by winning a butterfly event in her first attempt, was not expecting to become an African champion in her first appearance at the continental showpiece.

“I had no expectations, it was a very big event. And it was my first time in an event like that with my national team and there were so many swimmers from so many countries, so you don’t know what to expect,” Jasmine, who also won a silver in the 400-metre butterfly, told the Khaleej Times.

Her glorious triumph in Mauritius brought tears of joy for her parents who had ‘put her in the water’ when she was a toddler.

“My parents, both of them were crying, especially my mum. I wasn’t crying, I think I was in shock for a while, maybe, because It was something I never felt before. All the hard work and the dedication that I put into it, paid off. It was a very proud moment for me and my family and I made my country proud,” she said before giving a glimpse into her family’s swimming tradition.

“I started swimming when I was two and a half and have been swimming ever since. My sister (Sara Eissa) also swims in competitions, so it’s a family thing. Our parents put us in the water!”

Remarkably, Jasmine is eligible to compete in national championships in two countries, Egypt and Italy, thanks to her mixed heritage.

“My father (Ahmed Eissa) is from Cairo, but my mother (Isabella Lunian) is from Italy, so I am half-Italian,” she said.

Jasmine, who has won the national event in Egypt to qualify for the African Championships, is also a regional medallist in Italy, having qualified for the Italian national championships three times.

“In Italy, they have so many world-class swimmers. They are very competitive and it’s very high level and so it has helped me a lot,” she said.

What has also helped her chase the big dreams is the world-class facilities in Dubai.

“I don’t think anywhere in the world you will find the facilities that you have here. At school, we have two big pools, they are competitive pools,” she said.

“And the competition here is very good, we have got many good swimmers that come from abroad to compete here.

“Also, there are very good coaches here. I owe a lot to my coaches, Stuart Sant (Hamilton Aquatics Dubai) and Dejan Pejinovic (GEMS Wellington Academy).”

Jasmine says the secret to her success lies in discipline, hard work and the ability to be brave in the pool.

“I wake up at four in the morning, almost three times a week. Then I swim for three hours before going to school. Then I have swimming and gym after school,” said Jasmine, who has been given a scholarship programme by her school to help her focus on swimming.

“And I eat healthy food, no junk food for me, I have had many talks with nutritionists who guide me on what to eat, the carb intake, everything.”

But it wasn’t until 2021 that her career as a young swimmer took off.

“I did breaststroke for a long time when I was younger. That was my style. But after covid, it was a rough year for me, it was not a good time for me and I stopped doing breaststroke, and started doing butterfly,” she recalled.

“At the end of the year (2021), I did a race which shocked many coaches. I came first within the UAE. It was after that I shifted my focus to butterfly and now I am an African champion.”

While her immediate goal is the Junior World Championship, the Olympics remain her biggest dream.

“Now I am focused on qualifying for the Junior World Championships, but the big goal is the Olympics,” she said.

“For every athlete, the Olympics is obviously the biggest goal. So hopefully I can continue to develop and do well in seniors, then I can go to the world championships and the Olympics in 2028.”

Finally, this talented Dubai swimmer revealed who her biggest Olympic idol is.

“I admire Katinka Hosszu (three-time Olympic champion and nine-time world champion), the Hungarian swimmer. They call her the Iron Lady,” she said.

“But my biggest source of inspiration is my parents. They are pushing me to become better and better all the time. They have always supported me, through the ups and downs of this journey as a swimmer. They are my biggest strength.”

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