Mighty Barracuda Olympic Trials Spotlight: Yuto Lee

Mighty Barracuda Olympic Trials Spotlight: Yuto Lee
Sunday, May 5, 2024

Swimmer: Yuto Lee
Age: 16
Current Grade: 11
School: John McCrae Secondary School

Years Swimming: Started as a Junior Barracuda and has been swimming 8 years on the competitive team, always a Barracuda!
Events at Olympic Trials: 100 BR, 200 BR

Race Routine: Activate, Warm up, Talk to my coach, Race, Talk to my coach
Best Pump Up Song: Super Bass by Nicki Minaj
Favourite Food:
Favorite food: Fish and Chips

Favorite Meal: Pasta

Favorite on deck snack: Baby Crackers
What he does when a race doesn’t go as planned: Focus on what you can change. You are the only one who can change the outcome for your race. One of the best things you can do is to take your mind off it by focusing on the next race.

If he could give advice to his 10 year old self, what would it be?

• Always have fun while swimming. Of course, there are times when you have to focus such as swim meets or practices, but you can do all that while having fun with your friends. The friends you make through swimming will follow you throughout your life.
• NKB is home to everyone, the atmosphere is great and the people are even better. You will not only get fast at swimming but get fast while having fun and making new friends. All of the seniors in the group were once in your position following the same steps you’re taking.

Yuto Lee's journey through the waters of competitive swimming began not with a grand dream of glory, but with the practical intention of staying healthy. Encouraged by his parents to be active and get some exercise, he joined the  NKB as a Junior Barracuda, unaware of the currents that would carry him into the realm of the Mighty Barracudas.

From the outset, Yuto understood that success in swimming was more than just gliding through the water.   For him, the path to victory was paved with attention to detail and fueled by the unity of the team.

Yuto's favourite event is the 200 BR, but not because "he's a breaststroker".  To him, the 200 BR requires the most strategy out of any event in swimming. While most people have strong opinions about the 200 BR, he likes the fact that it's not a complete sprint and how there's many different approaches and strategies to swimming the race.  "There is no secret to swimming fast. It takes dedication and discipline to achieve your goals. I had to learn about race strategy and how you should pace yourself before making trials. Knowing what you need to work on and practicing it every day is how I got to where I am today."

According to Yuto, his breakout meet was Ontario Youth Junior Championships in 2020, less than a week before covid fell across Canada.  It was his first time competing prelims and finals. Yuto recalls being nervous before his races since he was racing older swimmers (he was one of the youngest in the entire competition) and all he wanted to do was get himself onto the podium.  Spoiler alert - he did!  Silver in the 200 BR.  He also opened the floodgates by qualifying for the top provincial championships for the first time.  If you ask his coach about his breakout moment, however, it's a slightly different story.  It's not about a single meet, but rather the point in his training in the winter of 2019-2020 just ahead of the aforementioned OYJ meet.  Yuto had come into his own that winter, realizing the value of focusing on details, broadened what he was open to try in his training, and dove deeper into specific and strategic skills across all of his strokes.  Despite a season cut short, he shirked the moniker of “being a breaststroker” and took down club records in breaststroke, butterfly, and the individual medleys, many of which still stand today for our 11-12 boys.  He weathered covid lockdowns and grit carried him from a young age group swimmer on the cusp of provincial championships heading into covid to being a nationally recognized swimmer coming out the other end.  

Many think swimming is an individual sport.  In many respects it absolutely is.  But the power of team, as you have seen through the stories of all our swimmers headed to Olympic Trials, is an integral part of being a successful swimmer.  "Team travel is a big part of championship meets and it is one of the many reasons why it's so fun... My favorite memory from team travel was my first ever away meet. The experience was so fresh and that's the first time I got to experience swimming as a team sport.”  Yuto continues to speak about  the atmosphere NKB creates as a team. Through the shared experiences of team travel and camaraderie both in and out of the pool, he found that the bonds forged with teammates were as vital as any personal achievement. “We all support one another and lift each other up."  All the stats - club records, medal performances, numerous provincial and national championships, and selections to tour teams and national camps speak to the success Yuto  found at these meets, but still he goes back to talking about time spent with his teammates on and off the deck and memories like playing games with Nate, Mirco, and Alex (Pilieci… it seems his friendship is synonymous with success as he keeps showing up in the journeys of our national level athletes!).  "Swimming is fun because of your friends. Throughout your swimming career you will learn and experience new things with your friends."

Moreover, Yuto recognizes that the drive and motivation needed daily to be successful comes from two key sources, himself and his teammates.  Some days, you can get yourself up, focused, and going.  Some days you can't and that is when your teammates are most important.  They can motivate you, and as a teammate it is your responsibility to also motivate them when they don't have it in themselves. 

As he stands on the cusp of his first Olympic Trials, Yuto remains anchored by the unwavering support of his family and the unbreakable bond with his teammates. His friends readily testify to his character that, "Yuto is the most dedicated person I know. The type of person who never misses a practice, and always gives his all. Yuto is always aiming to work ahead and will never fail to lend a hand to people in need."  His parents continue "Since Yuto began swimming at the age of 8, he has embarked on numerous firsts: his first regional, first provincial, first Eastern, and first national competitions. Each of these milestones has delivered amazing moments not only for Yuto but also for us. Now, as Yuto faces his first Olympic Trials, I hope he can relish this monumental event alongside his teammates and all those who support him."

For Yuto, success isn't measured in medals alone but in the shared triumphs of the journey.  It's never about just the individual, it's about doing it with your team. 
 

Stay tuned to your email for daily stories of our athletes as we approach the 2024 Bell Canadian Olympic Trials, or visit the News section of the  NKB Swimming website for current and past stories.