AS the days, months and years go by, Paige Leonhardt is focused on finding new strings to add to her bow.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The quietly-spoken 15-year-old that travelled to the Rio Paralympics has been transformed into a confident 18-year-old – and there are still just under two years until the 2020 Paralympics at Tokyo.
Leonhardt returned to Australia last week after a tour to Japan which doubled as a chance to see the venues and setup for the 2020 Paralympics.
She emerged from her four events with two gold, one silver and one bronze medal in a performance she was satisfied with, if not entirely impressed.
“My times weren’t great,” the teenager admitted.
“I think this year my best times and peak performances were at the Commonwealth Games and then I had a break which is all the break I’ve had this year.”
In saying that, the former Port Macquarie swimmer conceded her times were where she wanted to be and there was still room for improvement heading towards the end of the 2018 season.
The teenager was confident she would continue to improve under the eye of new coach Rob van der Zant and anything was possible at Tokyo 2020.
“I’m doing a lot more kilometres; I’m training for two hours, twice a day, six days a week,” Leonhardt said.
“I’m enjoying swimming more now and not seeing it as a job. It’s something I love to do and I enjoy being at the pool every day and working hard.”
Van der Zant wants Leonhardt to challenge for a podium finish in the 400-metre freestyle at Tokyo – it’s an event she has only previously ever swum once.
A slight change in mindset has the teenager confident of what she can achieve.
“I’ve never really swum the 400-metre free in my life and Rob wants me to do that heading into Tokyo 2020,” she said.
“A couple of weeks ago there was a choice of doing a normal set (at training) or a five-kay time trial which is 100 laps non-stop.
“Mentally if you had have asked me to do that a year ago, I would have said ‘hell no’, done the normal set and went home.
“I got in there, did it and came third in an hour 14 so I think mentally I’m learning not to say no to everything and to give anything a go.
“I know it will make me stronger in and out of the pool.”
Leonhardt knows she is physically fit and strong, but it was mentally where she had made the significant improvements.
"I’ve always said no to events I don’t want to do or events I know that I’m slow at,” she said.
“Now I’m doing them because younger people are starting to come through and I need to change up my events so I can be an all-rounder and possibly podium in many events and not just one.
“Overall with my strokes I’m sitting where I need to be leading into Tokyo.”