Alicia Coutts 2012 AIS Athlete of the Year

Alicia, congratulations, AIS Athlete of the Year, there has been a number of great champions
win that award before, what does it mean to you?
Well I mean honestly I didn’t think that I was going to win it so I was very surprised,
but it’s just an amazing honour just to be recognised and to be given this award and
you know obviously my achievements were something to be proud of.
You’ve been at the AIS a few years now. What does it mean as far as the AIS and the
support you get at the AIS? I mean honestly, if I didn’t come to the
AIS I don’t think I’d be where I am now. They’ve done so much for me over the past
six and half years since I’ve been here and I think you know I’ve grown as an athlete
and as a person from being at the AIS. You know it has the best facilities and the best
venues, the best people to work with and I think it’s definitely made me into the athlete
that I am today. The Olympics – five medals in one Games
equalling Shane Gould and Ian Thorpe’s record. Talk us through the Olympics and how it felt
for you. It was pretty much a whirlwind really. You
know after the first gold, I mean I didn’t let it sink in too much at the beginning I
knew I was there to do a job and I was just getting out there every day, doing what I
had to do and giving it my best and you know I never thought I’d come away with five
medals at one Olympic Games. You know I was extremely ecstatic with my performance and
you know to be equalled with Shane Gould and Ian Thorpe is an amazing achievement and I’m
so proud of it. What originally got you into competitive swimming
Alicia? Oh, it’s funny because I actually started
swimming when I was eighteen months old because my neighbour had a pool and I used to climb
their pool fence, walk around to the back door and ask if I could go swimming, because
I was always drawn to the water. So mum took me to ‘Learn to Swim’ lessons after that
because she was worried I would drown and I’ve been swimming ever since. So when I
was six years old my father told me that he thought I’d go to the Olympics one day and
I did that in Beijing in 2008 and I’ve done it again in London and you know I think I
did him proud. Do you have any tips for today’s young swimmers
with those sort of dreams? Yer, definitely, obviously dreams like that
can become a reality if you put in the effort and the time and you stay determined and your
persistent then they are achievable. What’s the future for you? Are you looking
to Rio? At this stage I’m just taking it as it comes
you know. It’s four years away and in four years alot can happen in four years so as
long as I keep swimming well and I keep enjoying it and I keep making teams I’ll keep swimming.
Congratulations again Alicia – AIS Athlete of the year, it’s an amazing achievement
– thanks very much.