Haarlemmermeer is one of the larger talent hubs in North Holland and serves as a breeding ground for talent and elite sports. However, not all athletes reach the highest level, as they face financial and social obstacles along their journey. In collaboration with Topsport Haarlemmermeer, we want to give promising athletes an extra boost through CTS GROUP Young Talents, the elite sports talent team of Haarlemmermeer!
One of the young athletes on his way to the top is Baris. He is sixteen years old and has been competing in swimming for eight years. Every day, he works hard on his development as a swimmer and is fully motivated to keep improving. In addition to his many hours of training, he combines his elite sports career with school at Haarlemmermeerlyceum Dalton in Hoofddorp.
Developing both in and outside the pool
Baris trains at ZPCH in Hoofddorp and at the Training Centre (OC) in Amsterdam. His life largely revolves around swimming and school, but he believes it is important to continue developing himself in other areas as well. That is why Baris joined CTS GROUP Young Talents. “I joined Young Talents because I see it as a great opportunity to continue developing myself, both within and outside of sports. Besides the workshops, I also look forward to meeting other young athletes and sharing experiences with each other.”
An intensive combination of school and elite sports
An average week for Baris is entirely focused on swimming and school. He trains nine times a week, adding up to approximately 21 hours of training. On Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays, his day starts early, and he is already in the pool at 6:00 AM. Tuesday is his toughest training day, with a long swimming session combined with strength training. On Wednesdays, he trains in the evening in Hoofddorp, and on Fridays he combines swimming with strength training. The weekend starts with a strength training session on Saturday morning, while Sunday is dedicated to competitions.
From August onwards, Baris will join the Training Centre Amsterdam. Until then, he trained at the Training Centre The Hague. Despite this transition, he remains connected to his home club ZPCH Hoofddorp, where he will continue training, including on Wednesdays.
Impressive results
The season started well for Baris. During the first part of the season, when competitions are held in a short-course pool, he achieved a podium finish at the Dutch Junior Championships (NJK). He finished second in both the 200-metre and 400-metre freestyle events and also achieved second place in the freestyle overall ranking. This was followed by the Dutch 1500-metre freestyle championships, where he finished fifth.
During the second part of the season, when competitions are held in a long-course pool, Baris once again achieved strong results. At the NJK, he finished second in the 400-metre freestyle and second in the freestyle overall ranking. At the Dutch Championships, he achieved fifth place in the 800-metre freestyle and sixth place in the 1500-metre freestyle.
A future at the highest level
Baris has clear goals for the future. His biggest ambition in sports is to qualify for the European Junior Championships (EJC) under 18. He works hard towards this goal every day and still has two years to continue developing himself.
Outside of swimming, he is also looking ahead. He is currently in his fifth year of pre-university education (VWO) and is considering studying something technical in the future, such as architecture or civil engineering. His main goal remains to continue improving as a swimmer and to strive for the highest level as an elite athlete.
