File/SPPSKaan Tayla prepares to dive into War Memorial pool on Feb.1. He will represent Turkey in the 2008 games.
Although he did not fair well in his first outing, finishing 39th in the 50 meter and 42nd in the 100- meter free, Tayla will compete for Turkey once again in the upcoming 2008 Summer Olympics.
Tayla is the Turkish national champion in 50, 100 and 200 meter freestyle, and competed on the greatest international stage before he began swimming at the collegiate level.
During the four year interval between Athens and Beijing, Tayla began and finished his swimming career as a Hokie, while perfecting his performances along the way.
The swimmer holds the Virginia Tech record as well as the War Memorial Pool records for both the 50- and 100-meter freestyle. Tayla ended his career at Tech as the 2008 ACC Champion in the men's 50 and 100 meter free.
Now, at the age of 22, Kaan has qualified for his second Olympic appearance. During a sectional meet at Georgia Tech he posted his personal best of 22.37 seconds during the 50-meter freestyle.
This 22.37 second time was almost an entire second faster than his previous finish in 2004 in Athens at 23.26 seconds.
His performance allowed him to secure his spot on the team and a ticket to China. This Olympic appearance will solely be focused upon the 50-meter freestyle.
Throughout the summer Tayla has been training with the Virginia Tech swimming and diving head coach Ned Skinner and assistant coach Braden Holloway.
"Kaan is on a very strict weightlifting program. He lifts weights as many as four times a week," Skinner said.
Tayla's workout consists of bench press, squats and cleans, as well as power-based swimming using a Power Rack, a machine that allows the swimmer to swim 11 feet from the edge of the pool while attached to 10 to 100 pound weights with a Velcro belt.
"He's only swimming for 22 seconds, so developing his power and maintaining his strength is very important," Skinner said.
Hand-eye coordination has been a key focal point as well. Through reaction drills, the swimmer decreases the amount of time to react to get off the block quicker.
To improve upon his 39th place finish in Athens, Tayla primary goal is to advance to the semi-final round, putting him in the top 16 world-class swimmers.
His biggest competition, a long with the rest of the world, will be two Frenchmen who currently own the top two positions in the world of 50 meter sprint freestyle.
"He's swimming the best he's ever swam right now, and he's really excited," Skinner said.
Although he has not broken his personal best since the meet at Georgia Tech, he has maintained his speed and is right at it, Skinner said.
Along with Tayla, seven other H2Okies who fought for a spot among select athletes competing in the Olympics.
The seven included departed seniors Jessica Botzum, Pete Cancila, Scott Beard; rising seniors Sarah Smith, Megan Newell; rising sophomore Sarah Losinger and rising freshman Jace Howanitz.
None advanced to the final round of the U.S. Olympic trials, failing to secure a position on the roster.
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