Mighty Barracuda Olympic Trials Spotlight: Jakub Mikolajczak

Mighty Barracuda Olympic Trials Spotlight: Jakub Mikolajczak
Monday, May 6, 2024

Swimmer: Jakub Mikolajczak
Age: 16
Current Grade: 11
School: Mother Teresa High School

Years Swimming: 6 years, always a Barracuda!
Events at Olympic Trials: 50 FR

Pre-Race Routine: Visualization
Best Pump Up Song: Time of Our Lives - Pitbull
Favourite Food: Pierogies
What he does when a race doesn’t go as planned:  “When a race or meet doesn't go your way, it's important not to let it overwhelm you. Instead, take it as a learning opportunity. Reflect on your performance, identify the mistakes you made and think about how you could have improved. By understanding what went wrong, you can better prepare for next time and increase your chances of success."

If he could give advice to his 10 year old self, what would it be? Whenever you're in the water avoid just going through the motions. Focus on your technique and always move with intention.



Jakub's journey into swimming started with city programming.  He happened to be in a summer Power Swim program operating in the deep end of the Nepean Sportsplex while Coach Scott was in the shallow end training Senior NKB swimmers for Summer Nationals, when young Jakub caught Scott's attention.  Way back in those less techy days, NKB handed out physical letters to invite swimmers into the competitive program, so Coach Scott sent his assistant running to get a letter from the NKB office and sent it home with Jakub that very day. And, well, we all know what Jakub's response was!

Coach Scott's invitation to join the competitive program at NKB was a turning point for Jakub. It was here that he discovered his talent for racing and developed a fierce competitive drive. “Racing is by far the most fun part of swimming, you get to push yourself to the limit and see what your body is capable of” he states matter of factly.  But more than that, it was at the pool that he learned the power of self-belief.  For Jakub, self-belief isn't just about having confidence in your own abilities. It's about embracing your potential and pushing yourself to new heights. It's about believing in yourself even when others doubt you.  It’s about believing in your teammates, and reminding them to believe in themselves, so that they can achieve their own success, too.

“My secret weapon is self belief – a belief so strong that you could even call it delusion. When I declared that I'd make Trials in the 50 free, nobody believed in me, citing my 2 second gap from the qualifying time. Yet I believed in it. You must envision yourself at the pinnacle, believing in your capacity for greatness despite how much it might feel like it's not going to work out. Then, "I want to" has to become "I will.""

When discussing how “I want” turns to “I will” and how dreams become reality, Jakub eloquently cited building blocks for greatness are individual skills we are each capable of putting together if we consciously work to do so.  “Success in swimming, and in any sport, demands consistency, work ethic, nutrition, recovery and time management.”  Even more significantly, Jakub emphasized the importance of confronting one's own abilities honestly, particularly in pinpointing areas ripe for improvement. Candid self-assessment is key on the pathway of progress. “I admit that I struggle with these aspects, especially time management. Matter of fact I have such poor time management that my attendance to practice occasionally suffers because of it. It is still a skill that I personally need to develop.”  You won’t be a flawless athlete, no athlete ever is, but you do need to be relentless in both your self-belief that you can be great and in taking action to shape that path to greatness.   “So, I ask, why not you? You possess the power to shape your life, to make your dreams become reality. So why not you? Why can't you be great?”  There is no reason you can’t!

Whether it's traveling to competitions or sharing experiences in different pools, Jakub knows that it's the bonds he's formed with his teammates that have truly made his journey special.  His most treasured memory is from early 2020, just before the Covid pandemic hit, when he attended Championnat provincial 11-12 ans HIVER in Quebec City. It was a defining moment for him for two reasons.  He speaks to qualifying for Festivals for the first time in the 100 BK as well as achieving an 11-12 all time top 5 swim in NKB in the 50 BK, two big accomplishments.  He continues on though by talking about traveling with teammates.  “It strengthens bonds, promotes teamwork, and boosts team morale. Competing in new locations and sharing experiences in different pools created lasting memories and allowed us to grow together as people… and to of course enhance our performance in the water! It was the first time that I can truly say that I was proud to be a part of this amazing program not only because of performance but because of the friends I did it with.”

He continues on to highlight Regional Championships less than a year ago as the moment when he finally "made it big". Not because he qualified for Regionals but because of what he was able to accomplish at the meet.  He'd been putting in the work, and working on the time management.  He'd been improving his nutrition, and his racing skills were improving.  He’d been honest with himself about areas he needed to focus on and improve, and improved.  The result? Jakub broke through to grab his first provincial and national qualifying times.  He punched his cards to Ontario Swimming Championships and Canadian Junior Championships in one fell swoop because he understood what it took to go from having good races to truly being a high caliber athlete - self belief and deliberate action to make it reality.  And he hasn’t stopped building on this as we all know he is now poised to compete at Canada's top meet, the Olympic Trials. 

“He learned quickly and wanted to swim fast and compete. When the opportunity presented itself to join NKB, he jumped onboard and the real adventure began. We never in our dreams thought that he would reach this far,” Jakub’s parents beam.  “We are very proud and believe there is still a lot more he can achieve!”  We’re all excited to cheer you on next week, Jakub, and hold firm in our belief that more greatness lies ahead!




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.