Pre-teen turning heads in pool

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This article was published 27/12/2024 (601 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It’s not every day an 11-year-old turns heads, but Arthur Godoy is an exception.

The young Winnipeg swimmer is making a name for himself in the pool with talent his coaches say is beyond his years.

The buzz reached a new high earlier this month when Godoy etched his name in the Manitoba record books, besting a mark in the 100-metre medley — four 25-metre legs in the butterfly, breaststroke, backstroke and freestyle — that stood for 11 years in his age group.

Godoy posted a time of one minute, 8.73 seconds at the Prairie Winter International at Pan Am Pool. He now ranks as the fastest 11-year-old 100 IM swimmer in Canada.

“The way he’s swimming right now at his age is comparable to 13, 14 year olds that are in the city,” said Alex Shogolev, who has coached Godoy since June through the Alpha Swim Club.

Shogolev swam for the University of Calgary and the Manitoba Bisons, competing in conference and national championships, and Olympic trials at the height of his career.

That’s to say, he knows what it takes to swim at a high level, and he believes Godoy already has many of those qualities.

“He does a really great job. He’s very disciplined, I think that’s the one thing that you need to have as an athlete to make it to the next level, and he’s also willing to almost go beyond the limit to train outside of his comfort zone. If you have those two things, you’re for sure going to be a great athlete,” Shogolev said.

Godoy’s pre-school years were spent playing soccer in Brasília, the capital of Brazil. Though he had some exposure to the pool, he had no idea that his greatest ability was in the water.

In 2019, he moved to Winnipeg with his parents, Paula and Carlos, who served in the Brazilian military and has a background as a pentathlete.

They later enrolled him in Leisure Guide swimming lessons. Godoy quickly showed an advanced ability in the water and outgrew those classes. Instructors recommended his parents search for specialized training.

By eight years old, Godoy was competitively swimming with a club.

“I just think it’s really fun. I like the morning practises, waking up early,” said Godoy, who was named the top overall swimmer for his age group at the junior provincials in June. “I feel really good when I reach my goals and get a good time. It feels really good, the training and when the results come out, that’s one of the big reasons why I do swimming.”

Godoy has joined a few different clubs around the city but left quickly as he and his parents were not satisfied with the training he received. It’s been a different story since joining Alpha in the summer, where his talents are being maximized, Paula said.

“He’s excelling with Alpha,” Paula said. “The other clubs, they didn’t look at Arthur as a person who could excel in swimming. Alpha is doing this. This is the difference from the other clubs.”

“He’s not alone. He’s with the right people now.”

Shogolev founded Alpha Swim Club in January of 2023. He began with six swimmers but has grown to around 80 in less than two years.

There are nine swim clubs in the city that specialize in athletes who are six to 20 years old, some have hundreds of swimmers under their umbrella.

Shogolev’s membership may not grow much more. Space is limited and he holds a detailed selection process for anyone trying to join.

Not only does he want kids who he believes have the ability to excel in the sport, but he places an emphasis on those who demonstrate an eagerness to learn.

It’s led him to Godoy, and Raul and Milana Hadzhyiev, two other exceptional 10-year-old swimmers.

“He always shows up on time to practice. He loves learn and take in information. Whenever we have something to critique, he takes it very well and he always tries to improve himself, not just as a swimmer but also as a younger leader in our club,” Shogolev said of Godoy.

Godoy is best in the freestyle and butterfly disciplines and is on a demanding training schedule to improve the other strokes. He’s in the water six days a week — five days with Shogolev and twice in one day with another coach once per week — and relishes every opportunity he gets. He said his hard work was on display in his record-breaking performance.

“I was super happy because not a lot of people break a record,” Godoy said.

“I’m proud of myself that I got the results out. The training is super hard and every day. Sometimes you just don’t want to do it but if you just give your all every day you’ll see the results come out.”

joshua.frey-sam@freepress.mb.ca

X: @jfreysam