Jonathan Gomez, who swims for Bayonne’s Scarlet Aquaticsclub and attended St. Peter’s Prep and St. Peter’s University, is going to the Olympics this summer. Previously a finalist at the 200-meter butterfly at the Youth Olympic Games in 2015, he qualified for the 200-meter fly at the Caribbean Island Swimming Championships in the Bahamas earlier this month, and will swim for his native Colombia.
Beginnings
Growing up in Colombia, Gomez said, “We didn’t have suits, goggles, cups, any of that. Swimming back in the day was about working hard and being the best.” He started swimming because of his asthma. “It was better for my condition,” he said, as opposed to Colombia’s favorite, yet-running-intensive soccer.
Gomez moved to Jersey City when he was 13, attending St. Peter’s Prep, then briefly moving to Virginia, and moving back, so he could train with his coach, Mohamed Abdelaal, at the Elite Division of the Scarlet Aquatics. “I owe my success to God, but after God, it’s Mohamed,” Gomez said.“We worked really, really hard these past seven years, and I think everything is how it should be because of God.” He says in order to be great, it takes a lot of dedication and a lot of time. “I’ve been training hard every single day, no days off.”
“The Scarlet Aquatics is the greatest sports team the city has. We have swimmers traveling all around the world putting the city of Bayonne on the top of the podium.” – Jonathan Gomez
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Reaching new heights
Even though the Olympics did not become a reality for Gomez until he hit the qualifying mark by 0.25 seconds in the Bahamas, it has been his goal for a while. “I started believing I could make it to the Olympics as early as 2012,” he said.“We dropped a lot of time in the nationals, and I got 2:04. I thought if I worked hard and did everything Mohammed said, I believed I could do it.”
He did it, but now comes the hard part. One of Gomez’s many opponents will be the most decorated Olympian of all time, and record-holder for the 200-meter butterfly, Michael Phelps. On July 21, 2009, Phelps broke the world record for the 200-meter butterfly with 1:51:51. The next seven records are also held by Phelps, dating back to 2001.It will be an uphill battle, or rather an underwater battle, to pull out a medal. “He’s a bit ahead of us,” Gomez said. Gomez’s qualifying time in the Bahamas was 1:56:72, and he hopes to improve on that mark with perseverance and Olympic training. “We’re working toward being the best,” he said.“We want to get to the finals, and once you get there, anything can happen.”
Gomez is not the only Hudson County swimmer to compete in Rio this summer. Jersey City resident and fellow Scarlet Aquatics athlete, Matea Samardzic, will be swimming for her native Croatia. She was named the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Most Outstanding Female Swimmer of the Meet the last two years, set the conference record for both the 100 and 200 back stroke, and won the 500-meter freestyle at the 2015 MAAC Championships.At press time, she could not be reached for comment.
Gomez’s pride goes well beyond his native Colombia. “The Scarlet Aquatics is the greatest sports team the city has,” he said. “We have swimmers traveling all around the world putting the city of Bayonne on the top of the podium.”
Gomez leaves for Rio on August 2 and returns the 14th; he’s hoping for some decorations, but he also wants to see the city.“But,” he said, “I’m there to do my job.”
Rory Pasquariello may be reached at roryp@hudsonreporter.com or @rory_louis.