From the YOG News Room

Tuesday, August 17, 2010 — Liberian swimmers Sima Weah and Mika-Jah Teah competed for the first time ever in a swimming pool when they competed in heat one of the youth men’s 50m freestyle event at Singapore Sports School on Tuesday.

“We swim in the open river,” said Teah. “This is my first time in a pool.”

The race was a first in many respects.

Liberia has competed in 10 Summer Olympic Games but only in athletics and boxing — Weah and Teah are the first athletes to ever represent their country internationally in swimming, let alone at an Olympic level.

The 17-year-olds train in the Rockspring Valley River near Liberia’s capital city, Monrovia, where they often encounter aquatic life such as crabs and kismet fish in the river, which they catch as they swim along.

Weah was impressed but not overawed when he first saw the facilities at Singapore Sports School.

“I felt encouraged,” he said “I was not scared. There was no fear,” he said.

“I was hoping to win, but I am happy that I came here with my friends.”

Their coach Steven Weah (LIB), is Sima’s uncle, a FINA-certified coach who first introduced his nephew to the sport.

“We don’t even have a pool in Liberia. I am proud of them because this is their first appearance in international competition,” he said.

Even though the boys finished 24 seconds behind the fastest qualifiers, the coach was proud of their efforts.

“Going to this competition I was surprised to even see them compete. They swam well compared to the other boys.”

The long trip to Singapore was also the first time the boys had ever been on an aircraft.

Their 12,711km journey, taking them from Liberia to Ghana, then through Kenya and Dubai to Singapore saw them travelling for more than a full day to compete in their only event of the Games.