Olympian Junayna Ahmed Visits LEA

London Enterprise Academy had the pleasure of welcoming back Junayna Ahmed, former LEA student and Olympic swimming athlete!
Junayna started swimming at the age of six and has loved it ever since. She has won medals in the 2019 South Asian Games and represented Bangladesh in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. She is also currently studying medicine at a university in London with the hopes of becoming a doctor.
Junayna led an assembly for the year 11s giving them career advice, how to stay motivated and focused on achieving your goals.
Some of our KS3 students were lucky enough to hear her speak about her experience in the Olympics and interviewed her about it:

How did it feel being part of the Tokyo Olympics?
It was an amazing surreal experience; I still cannot get over it. It was definitely the best experience and I wish I could do it all over again!

Where did you train and practice your swimming?
I trained in Romford. I used to wake up really early just to train and used to always be late for school because of it. But do not do this yourselves – make sure you come to school on time it is so important!

Do you do anything just before you race, or any habits that you practice before competing?
I always have to use the toilet before I race, otherwise I cannot concentrate very well. I also talk a lot; I think it is my way of psyching myself up before I compete.

Is there any advice you would give to someone to succeed?
Even if you don’t feel like trying anymore, or you want to give up, keep going. You will fail many times but you cannot give up. I probably failed more than I succeeded but I always stayed focused and tried my hardest, and that’s all you can do. Just don’t give up.