By Marissa Tiel

A Kelowna swimmer will continue her career south of the border next fall. Axana Merckx signed her letter of intent with the University of Arizona Wildcats last week.

Even though her freshman year is months away, the 17-year-old is looking forward to her collegiate swimming career.

91裸聊视频淚91裸聊视频檓 definitely excited to train with great athletes,91裸聊视频� says Merckx, currently a senior at Aberdeen Hall Preparatory School.

While looking for universities, Merckx got in contact with the Wildcats swimming program91裸聊视频檚 head coach, Augie Busch.

91裸聊视频淚 instantly fell in love with the program and everything he was talking about,91裸聊视频� she says.

She had been looking at a number of schools south of the border, but after a late September visit to the Tucson campus, she knew she91裸聊视频檇 found the right fit.

91裸聊视频淚 just fell in love with Arizona and I didn91裸聊视频檛 need to look any further,91裸聊视频� she says. 91裸聊视频淚91裸聊视频檓 really grateful for the head coach, Augie, and the rest of the team for being so welcome and open to me and I91裸聊视频檓 really looking forward to being a Wildcat.91裸聊视频�

Merckx will be studying international relations in the fall with plans to attend law school.

She was born in Belgium, so she91裸聊视频檒l be able to choose between competing for Canada or for her birth country at the Olympics, which she hopes to attend in 2024. Paris will be the host of those Games and she may follow in her father91裸聊视频檚 footsteps. Cyclist Axel Merckx won a bronze medal for Belgium at the 2004 Athens Olympics in the road race. Her grandfather, Eddy, is widely considered to be the greatest cyclist of all time, with 525 victories to his name.

But Merckx doesn91裸聊视频檛 just get her athletic genes from her father91裸聊视频檚 side, her mother, Jodi Cross competed at a high level in triathlon and cycling. Merckx says that her parents are her inspiration and her role models.

91裸聊视频淭hey know what it takes to become an athlete and they are so supportive and so understanding,91裸聊视频� she says. 91裸聊视频淭hey91裸聊视频檙e always there and always have my back.91裸聊视频�

Merckx91裸聊视频檚 younger sister Athina is also an athlete; she competes in soccer and swimming.

Merckx, who specializes in the individual medley and backstroke events, began swimming competitively 10 years ago. Her family moved to Kelowna in 2007 and she joined the Kelowna AquaJets.

91裸聊视频淭hroughout these years I91裸聊视频檝e learned a lot about myself and my capabilities,91裸聊视频� she says.

Individual medley, her speciality, combines all four strokes into one event.

91裸聊视频淚t91裸聊视频檚 a lot harder than it sounds,91裸聊视频� she says. 91裸聊视频淛ust because you switch strokes doesn91裸聊视频檛 make it any easier.91裸聊视频�

Merckx spends time with the younger athletes in the club. 91裸聊视频淭hey look up to me in a way and I really want to be a role model for them,91裸聊视频� she says.

The competitive swimming season started a few months ago and Merckx is on track for a successful year.

91裸聊视频淚91裸聊视频檝e definitely been happy, but not overly happy,91裸聊视频� she says. 91裸聊视频淚91裸聊视频檓 definitely where I was last year, and I have set some pretty lofty goals for this season.91裸聊视频�

Among them, Merckx is aiming to hit some target times set by Swimming Canada that would show she91裸聊视频檚 on track for the Olympics. She favours longer events that offer a chance for her endurance to shine. She is the 2018 B.C. Provincial Long Course 400-metre IM champion, short course 100-metre backstroke champion and the short course 200-metre backstroke champion.

Merckx91裸聊视频檚 next competition will be mid-December, when she joins the B.C. provincial team in Toronto for the Ontario Junior International Swim Meet.

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