Olympian and Ecuadorian swimmer Tomas Peribonio chatted with Digital Journal’s Markos Papadatos about competing for the Cali Condors in the International Swimming League (ISL) Season 3, which is held in Naples, Italy.
“I am doing good in Italy. I have been enjoying it,” he said about ISL Season 3. “It is going great. You can tell that we are all relaxed this year and that everybody is enjoying it.”
On being a part of the Cali Condors and competing in Naples, Italy, he said, “It has been fun, it has been great. I love having a team environment. We are a very close group, and most of us are college swimmers, so we know each other for a long time.”
Peribonio had great words about the new Cali Condors Head Coach, Jeff Julian. “Jeff is great,” he admitted. “I love Jeff, he is super motivational as a person and as a coach. He doesn’t add a lot of pressure and he keeps it cool. He knows that we are here to compete and have fun, and he adds that fun to the sport.”
Veteran Olympian Jason Lezak serves as the General Manager of the team. “I love being on Jason’s team,” he said. “You need to give it up for Jason Lezak, everybody he brings in has a purpose, and he has been killing it. All of his meetings get you pumped up. You need to admire what Jason is doing.”
“I am excited about the future of the sport,” he said. “These two-hour meets in the ISL is exactly what the sport needed, and since it’s short course racing, the races are even faster. I hope the ISL keeps on growing.”
Tokyo Summer Olympic Games
For Peribonio, his experience at the Tokyo Olympic Games was a whirlwind. “It was crazy, I was anxious at first. Luckily, I had two swims, so after the first swim I chilled out,” he said. “The first week was crazy, the second week I enjoyed it a lot.”
2021 South American Swimming Championships
At the 2021 South American Swimming Championships, Peribonio won two gold medals in the 200 meter individual medley (IM) and the 400 meter IM and a silver medal in the 200 meter backstroke. “That was a cool experience, especially since it was in the middle of the COVID pandemic. It was fun to do that meet and it was fun to race,” he said.
To learn more about Ecuadorian swimmer and Olympian Tomas Peribonio, follow him on Instagram.
