Former Iowa Central swimmer Judith Meauri will get the chance to compete against the best athletes in the world at the upcoming 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.
Representing her native country of Papua New Guinea, Meauri will swim in the 50 freestyle on July 30. The Olympics begin July 23 in Tokyo, Japan.
This is the second time the ex-Triton will get the chance to showcase her skills at the Olympics. She also swam the 50 freestyle at the 2012 Games, placing 47th overall.
"We had a mini time trial on June 12th which I did okay in my 50 free with a time of 27.8," Meauri said. "We are now back to maintaining our aerobic base for another week and a half with two quality sessions included in the 10 swim sessions per week. We still maintain two dryland and two weight training during the week."
For the past decade, Meauri has been competing at major international events, including the FINA World Championships and Commonwealth Games.
"I was excited when I got the news and got me motivated to put in more hard work in training," Meauri said. "I've been feeling great in the water over the past couple of weeks. Been hitting the target times set by my coaches."
Meauri has been working through the FINA Scholarship Program to prepare for the Olympics at the Thanyapura Training Centre in Phuket, Thailand. It has been a 19-month journey for her, as she secured a spot in the field with a time of 27.34. That mark is her personal best in the event.
Those helping Meauri include her head coach, Miquel Angel Lopez Alvarado, Alexander Tikhonov, Zahra Pinto, John Jesse Gregory, Margane Quinchan and Prageeth Perera.
"With the Olympics right around the corner, I feel more motivated and excited than ever," Meauri said. "I truly thank the team above who have been with me on this journey. I would like to thank our two coaches, our house mentors and staff of Thanyapura Sports Resort for taking great care of us. Also, a big thank you to FINA, PNG Swimming Inc. and PNG Olympic Committee, my family, friends and teammates."
-By Dana Becker