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Benedek Lendvai: ‘Yes, I am a determined and purposeful person’

They are going to the Nationals in March – 5th part

Swimming and studying engaged early in his life, he considers the two come hand in hand and he set his goals based on this principle. He knows exactly what has importance and what the real values are. Although the Nationals mean only one stop for Beni in his path to achieve his final goal, surely, he starts the competition with a definite plan.

When did you decide to try to get into an American university?

‘I had already determined this goal in my school years and it just cleared from time to time. Now it is very serious, I am in talk with some universities and I hope that it will happen.’

Is it your biggest goal?

‘Absolutely, either in swimming or in school. I did everything for this purpose, I tried to synchronize swimming with my studies, I chose the most important subjects in the school such as languages, English and Spanish. I worked hard in the school and in practices, too, to get the requested times.’

Were you always so determined?

‘Yes, I am a determined and purposeful person. I do not announce all my goals, but overall I can say that I am a positive and determined guy that is necessary in sport.’

From studying and swimming, which one is more important for you?

‘Both are the same, I cannot decide it. I would never choose any, I would never leave any of them for the other one. I can say 50-50 percent.’

Senior Nationals are coming, though the university is more important, do you have any goal for this competition?

‘I always have goals, short and long-term ones as well. It is not a secret that I would like to improve a lot at the Nationals in the long free events. I feel that the trainings go well, and it could help in my sport scholarship, too. The better results I swim, the more chance I have.’

Finally, a question of a bit more personal, how much do you think you changed during the difficulties you got over?

‘Many and only in positive sense. I have learnt to appraise things. I have learnt what the real problems are. I got some positive experiences thanks to my illness, although it was rather serious. It was cancer, but one of the lightest ones. Fortunately, it belonged to the curable category. I remained positive for the whole period, I did not give up at all. And I have to say that swimming helped me a lot, and I can owe a lot to my sporting experiences.’