Arno Kamminga<\/strong> expected to be in the midst of his final training block right now before the Netherlands\u2019 departure for the holding camp in Chiba<\/strong>, Japan, on 2 July, as he negotiated the final stepping stones that would bring him to Tokyo<\/strong><\/a> and his Olympic debut.<\/p>\n

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Arno Kamminga; Photo Courtesy: Foto Giorgio Scala \/ Deepbluemedia \/Insidefoto<\/p><\/div>\n
It was, he told Swimming World at the time, \u201cmindblowing\u201d and he continued to prepare for Tokyo 2020, drinking in the praise from 2012 champion Cameron van der Burgh<\/strong>.<\/p>\n
Instead, Kamminga is just happy to be back in the water he so loves in Amsterdam after five weeks spent alone at home in the centre of the Dutch capital during the lockdown that was imposed in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.<\/p>\n
There is though no competition for the athletes to prepare for, no certainties of planning and of refining each component with the biggest prize of all on the horizon after the Olympics were rescheduled for July 2021<\/a>.<\/p>\n
While Kamminga is open about missing competition and finding it difficult to spend so much time alone, he believes that now is a time of possibility.<\/p>\n
He told Swimming World<\/em>:<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a terrible thing that is going on right now but it is also an opportunity.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor the first time in years you have the opportunity to change things up or try different things.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe swim now six times a week instead of 10 and I have always wondered what it was like if I could do a little more weights and a little less swimming, what effect it would have on my body.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd now I can do it because there is the room, there\u2019s no pressure because the next meet is way, way ahead.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is a big reset button that has been pressed for everyone around the world. Is it something you see as a good thing or a bad thing?<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you dive back into the water is it like every other day and nothing happens or is it like I am really lucky I can swim again?<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is the perspective you have which really makes a difference.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
He added:<\/p>\n
\u201cMostly I see it as an opportunity \u2013 I have one more year to train and get better which really is a good thing for me.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was harder trying to maintain fitness knowing all the competitions were postponed but on the other hand my dream is the Olympics but also what comes after.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am starting to get out there now and I want to maintain that for many years. The Olympics is a big thing and I really want to go but I am also going to do Paris for sure. I am going for four more years.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo for me I could easily shift my focus \u2013 I want to be a better swimmer over time, not just this summer, not just at the Olympics. So that really helped me.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
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Arno Kamminga: Photo Courtesy: Patrick B. Kraemer<\/p><\/div>\n
Lockdown arrived in the Netherlands in mid-March and it accelerated quickly for the Tokyo-bound swimmers under Faber\u2019s stewardship.<\/p>\n
A training camp had been organised at a former convent in the north of the country after which the group were to go into quarantine.<\/p>\n
After just one training session the order to shut down came from the National Olympic Committee and they all returned home.<\/p>\n
It all began to sink in and then came the decision to postpone Tokyo 2020 after which Kamminga chose to take a week to himself as he absorbed the changes.<\/p>\n
\u201cI took a week off: rest and focus, get my mind sorted out because it was a big shock \u2013 no Olympics, no training and everything that came with that.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo first I thought I am going to have a vacation which was weird \u2013 a lockdown vacation. It was nice to have some time off but it was weird because you couldn\u2019t really do anything.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Kamminga had just moved to a city-centre fifth-floor apartment so no backyard pool for him and living alone at times was difficult.<\/p>\n
He unpacked, caught up on films and TV and maintained his fitness through cycling and running.<\/p>\n
After five weeks he returned to the pool and into the water in which he feels so at home, the swimmers going down one lane and up the next in a loop.<\/p>\n
He said:<\/p>\n
\u201cI can\u2019t really describe it. It was so good.<\/p>\n
\u201cObviously it felt a bit weird \u2013 you lose your feeling. But it feels so good to be back in the water and doing what you love \u2013 especially after all those hours on the bike and the running and all the other stuff trying to maintain fitness.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s so annoying compared to swimming. Swimming I really love and all the other sports are not made for me!\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
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A post shared by Arno Kamminga (@arnokamminga)<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n