January 17, 2019, was no ordinary day for sophomore Diana Brailita. The Tiger swim team set out to Columbus for a dual. The dual started out the same as any other, but throughout warm-ups, Brailita felt that it could be the day she would break Hastings High’s 100-meter backstroke record.
“I was feeling very strong in warmups, so I had a good feeling that I would break it. I also think my teammates felt the same way because they recorded a video of my race without telling me, and at the beginning of the video they said, ‘Diana’s about to break the 100 back record’ Brailita said.
With the previous record being 1:03.14, this is something Brailita has been working towards this season. It is something she has focused on every day in practice.
“Throughout the season I’ve been putting in more time on my backstroke and working on little details that I knew could make or break getting the record,” Brailita said.
At the dual that day, Brailita swam the best she has yet. She set a new school record in the 100-meter backstroke with a time of 1:02.82. Because she had memorized the time she needed to beat, as soon as Brailita touched the wall, she knew she had done it.
“Honestly, it was really a special feeling for me because it’s my first individual record, and I knew that all my work had paid off. It also was a relief because I hadn’t been swimming great before that race, and I needed a breakout race to boost my confidence again,” Brailita said.
Watch the video below of Brailita’s record-breaking race.
[evp_embed_video url="http://www.tigercubonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/IMG_7317.mov" ]
