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For Gagarin, pools today, planes tomorrow
Gagarin Nathaniel Yus (AFP/Baku 2017/Marco Bertorello)Although swimmer Gagarin Nathaniel Yus has become an idol after winning a gold medal at the SEA Games in Kuala Lumpur, his goal to become a pilot to follow in his father’s footsteps remains in his head
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Gagarin Nathaniel Yus (AFP/Baku 2017/Marco Bertorello)
Although swimmer Gagarin Nathaniel Yus has become an idol after winning a gold medal at the SEA Games in Kuala Lumpur, his goal to become a pilot to follow in his father’s footsteps remains in his head.
Gerin, as he is affectionately known, said that flying an aircraft was his main objective after he retires from swimming and earns the reputation as one of Indonesia’s top Olympic athletes.
“My dream is to become a pilot, like what my father is,” Gerin told The Jakarta Post after winning his first ever SEA Games gold medal in the men’s 100-meter breaststroke at the Bukit Jalil sporting complex recently.
He touched the wall at 1:1.76, edging out James Deiparine of the Philippines and Radomyos Matjiur of Thailand and their respective times of 1:02.11 and 1:02.24.
Gagarin previously bagged a gold medal in the men’s 200-m breaststroke at the Islamic Solidarity Games in Baku in May. Since then, the swimmer had set his eyes on gold at the SEA Games.
His father, Marifa Herman Yus, who is also his swimming coach, heavily influenced him, said Gerin, who is now studying law at Atma Jaya Catholic University in Jakarta.
In fact, it was his father that first introduced him to the sport, nurturing him to become a stronger swimmer.
“He was the one that pushed me into water when I was still a kid,” said Gerin, who was named after famous Soviet pilot and cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin — the first human to journey into outer space.
The 21-year-old swimmer knows the road ahead of him is a long one and that he needs to improve his speed and technique to find success against elevated competition. Gerin, who made his first SEA Games appearance in Singapore two years ago, is gearing up for the 2018 Asian Games, which Indonesia will host.
“Honestly, it’s difficult for me now to compete with Asian powerhouses. But let’s hope I can improve myself,” he said.
At the SEA Games, Gerin said he was slightly anxious before the race knowing that he was expected to win gold against some of the toughest swimmers from Singapore and Vietnam.
“I was very nervous. The 100-m breaststroke was the category in which the PRSI [Indonesian Swimming Association] placed the responsibility on me to win a gold medal,” he said. “It was the first time I had to shoulder such a big responsibility.”
Indonesia’s swimming coach and former gold medalist Albert Sutanto lauded Gerin for his victory and praised his technique.
“He managed to achieve the target and execute the strategy well. His stroke rate and pace in the last 15 meters allowed him to take the lead until the finish line,” Albert said.
