Although having to forego his daily training regime may be an inconvenience to Rainbow Flat swimmer Nash Wilkes right now, the decimation of the 2020 swimming calendar at the hands of the coronavirus could ultimately work in his favour.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The 18-year-old was due to swim at the trials for the Tokyo Olympic Games in Adelaide in June, but like the Olympics themselves, the event has been postponed to 2021.
While Nash isn't putting any pressure on himself to qualify this time around, he admits the extra preparation time may serve him well.
"It can only be a positive," he said.
"Another year of experience can't hurt."
Realistically, he believes he stands a better chance of qualifying for the 2024 Olympic Games, but at this early stage in his career he prefers not to pay too much attention to that lofty aspiration.
"You've got to work away at your small goals," he said.
Up until the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted both his training and racing schedule, Nash was doing exactly that.
At the NSW State Open Championships in mid-March he made the final of the 50m, 100m and 200m breaststroke events, where he matched up against some of Australia's top swimmers, including Matthew Wilson and Jake Packard.
The youngest swimmer in each of the finals, Nash was pleased with his results.
"It was a good experience," he said.
"It's good to know you're going with the best."
Back home now in Rainbow Flat and under the same orders as everyone else to limit his social interactions, Nash admits the closure of public swimming pools has posed a slight obstacle to his training, but he's doing his best.
"It wasn't too bad until they closed Black Head pool and the Bullring," he said.
"I've been training at home as much as I can."
Without a pool to swim in, Nash's training has taken on a slightly different look, with the hardworking teen mixing up time in his home gym with running, surfing and swimming at the beach.
He's also resorted to something a little more old-school to keep his strength up - splitting firewood.
"It's pretty hard going so it helps a lot," he said.
When life finally does return to normal and Nash is able to resume his swimming career, he's focussed on coming back stronger than ever.
Until then he's going to try and enjoy the time off as much as he can.
"It's actually good to realise what we have and not take it for granted," he said.
Stay ahead with local news by signing up for the Great Lakes Advocate newsletter here.