Fairfield University Incoming Freshman Swimmer to Compete in Olympics in Rio

Incoming Fairfield University freshman swimmer Ore Cherebin of St. George, Grenada, will represent her country in the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janiero, Brazil. The future Stag amphibian has already qualified, and will compete for the first time in the Olympics, garnering the Grenadian colors at the Commonwealth Games in 2014, the FINA World Championships in 2013 and 2015, and the 2015 Pan American games. Cherebin will be competing in the 100 butterfly and 100 breaststroke events. ?Being an Olympian is a huge honor and means more than words can describe,? says the butterfly and breaststroke artist. ?I almost can't believe it. It's a dream come true to be able to be part of team Grenada in Rio.? The 2016 Summer Olympics will get underway on August 5th in Rio. And speaking of swimmers from the Caribbean, Fairfield University Swimming and Diving Head Coach Janelle Atkinson-Wignall will serve as an ESPN Caribbean Commentator for the Olympic Games, so the Stags will be well represented in Rio. The two-time Olympian and seven-time Jamaican "Swimmer of the Year" is the first woman to coach both the men's and women's swimming and diving teams in school history. A native of Kingston, Jamaica, Janelle's Jamaican roots are very important to her. ?I am proud of my culture and heritage.? More on Atkinson-Wignall: She is yet another Kingston super star, like fellow Jamaican Patrick Ewing, the Knicks Hall of Famer. Janelle says that she ?has never met Ewing, but that would be pretty cool. The Caribbean islands overall admire all the people that come from there, they band together.? The former UConn assistant coach competed successfully in two Olympiads, first in the 2000 Sydney Games and then the 2004 Athens Games. She finished fourth in the 400-meter freestyle, very close to obtaining a medal, and ninth in the 800-meter freestyle in Sydney. She also swam in the 200 and 400-meter freestyle during the games in Athens. ?Looking back (at the Olympic experience), it was an amazing achievement,? she says. ?Olympics are stressful. You start off the sport for yourself, you compete for yourself. Once in the Olympics, you are competing for your family, your friends, a whole country. You are representing them. There is a lot of pressure there. It can be overwhelming.? Reflecting on her fourth place finish in 2004, and her near-miss for a medal, she says: ?I just wanted to be in the final race. That was my goal. I started off tenth overall, and when I saw that after the prelims I was ranked third, I was mad because I did not want to race in the middle lanes; I wanted one of the outer lanes. I thought I would be embarrassed and finish last. Before the race, I decided that it didn-t matter what would happen and took the pressure off myself. I could see the 1st and 2nd lane and saw that they were still behind me. I had no idea what position I was in until the end. I only knew that I wasn-t last.? Atkinson-Wignall was however a medalist at the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester, England, the 2001 Goodwill Games in Brisbane, Australia, and the 1999 Pan-American Games in Winnipeg, Canada. In addition, she is a seven-time recipient of the Jamaican Swimmer of the Year award and a six-time nominee for the Jamaican Sportswoman of the Year. ?Swimming is not a highly publicized and supported sport in Jamaica, but it is great to be considered and nominated for the Athlete of the Year award among the track and field athletes and other more publicized sports.?