Martin Schweizer has competed at World and European Championships, as well as being a national record holder.
And now the Manchester Metropolitan University student is hoping the upcoming BUCS Nationals can serve as perfect preparation to tick one final thing off his swimming bucket list – the Olympic Games.
Schweizer, who is from Lucerne, broke the Swiss 50m breaststroke record by clocking 27.77 seconds last summer, which also earned him a spot at the World Championships in Kazan.
He is now targeting an Olympic debut at Rio 2016 and claims the BUCS Nationals – the UK’s largest annual multi-sport event – will be a fantastic litmus test for his progress.
“I’ve competed at BUCS a couple of times and it’s a great event,” said Schweizer. “The level of competition is good – it’s something I always enjoy.
“You can find yourself racing against some of the best swimmers in the world, so I am looking forward to it.
“It will not be a main meet for me this year because everything is aiming towards the Olympic trials, so BUCS is a step towards that.
“Of course I’m hoping to win but it will be a good check to see if my training is working and that I am moving towards posting good times when it comes to Olympic trials.”
The BUCS Nationals, which has been a building block in the careers of many professional athletes, will take place at a range of venues across the city of Sheffield between February 19 and 21.
Schweizer, who studies International Business and Marketing, will compete in both the 50m and 100m breaststroke.
At 27 years old, he knows he may not have too long left in the sport and admits that if he makes it to Rio 2016, it could be something of swimming swansong.
“It would mean the world to me to reach the Olympics – it’s what we do all our training and early mornings for,” added Schweizer.
“The Olympics is the last little piece for me in terms of swimming as I’ve competed at World and European Championships.
“I’m hoping that dream comes true and it would be a great end to my career because I’m not sure whether I’ll carry on swimming after university.”
British Universities & Colleges Sport (BUCS) is the national governing body for Higher Education (HE) sport in the UK, representing more than 150 institutions. Covering 52 sports, BUCS aids grass roots participation through to supporting aspiring elite athletes en route to Commonwealth or Olympic Games www.bucs.org.uk
