Blog
Chasing Dreams: Madeleine Cassar’s Journey
Hello! I’m Madeleine Cassar and I’m a 14-year-old swimmer in the Performance Transition squad under the guidance of Coach Jack Hepburn and Strength and Conditioning Coach Kathy Johnstone. I’ve been swimming competitively for several years now and making it to an international level has always been a goal of mine. I’m beyond excited to say I will be competing at the European Junior Swimming Championships 2025, proudly representing Team Malta in the 100m, 200m, 400m Freestyle and the 50m, 100m Butterfly. This blog is a way for me to share a bit of my journey with you!
The Background:
This season has not been an easy one. I started the 24-25 season off with a shoulder injury linked to growing too fast. This meant training looked a little different for me. With guidance from my doctor, physiotherapist and coaches, we made a modified plan which helped keep me in the water as much as possible. Whilst I had support through my injury, it was mentally still very tough. For 3months I watched my teammates training and competing whilst I was focussing on rehabbing my injury and this was hard. Those months were physically and mentally very tough, but I never gave up! My training schedule has now increased to including 7 swim sessions and 4 land sessions a week focusing on building technique, endurance, power and speed.
As a committed student-athlete, I am gratefully an athlete in the GEMS Wellington Academy Al Khail, Swimming Centre of Excellence. Being supported within school with extra study time, different swim session timings and gym timings allows me to focus on all aspects of my future. Balancing both academics and sport is difficult, but it teaches me time management, work ethic, discipline and resilience.
The Competition:
The European Junior Swimming Championships is one of the biggest meets for young swimmers across Europe annually. It brings together top athletes, aged between 14 and 18 years from across the continent to compete across the 6day meet. This year it will be held in Šamorin, Slovakia in the world class pool, the X-BIONIC SPHERE.
When I found out I had been picked I felt a mix of emotions from nerves to excitement. But what stood out the most was the huge sense of achievement. Coming back from injury, getting up early for morning training, working hard every day and balancing academics has been challenging, and to see it all pay off with this opportunity is just incredible!
There’s so much I’m looking forward to; getting to race against the best juniors in Europe, being part of a national team, travelling to a new place and getting to experience a once in a lifetime opportunity. I’m especially excited to walk out on poolside knowing I’ve earned my place there. I can’t wait to take it all in and hopefully come away with some good memories and fast swims!
My goals for this competition are to give it everything I’ve got, swim some personal bests, make the most of every race and trust my training so I can swim fast. I want to improve and learn not just as a swimmer but as a person. Whether I am racing or cheering on my teammates, I want to make every moment count.
Lastly, I want to thank Coach Jack for always believing in me and pushing me to be the best version of myself. To my teammates, especially Tala and Hala for supporting me in training, and of course my parents for all the early mornings, endless support and constant encouragement. I couldn’t have done any of this without you!
Thank you all so much for reading! I’ll be sharing more after the championships are over.