Natasha Ryder Wins 2nd Place in Swimming at TOSI Season 3, Optimistic Despite Sudden Preparations

“Today’s experience was really fun, very tiring. I felt tense too because I didn’t know what to expect. It’s been 10 years since I swam like this. So, being back in the water, competing against amazing girls, was an exciting experience,” said Natasha at PPOP Ragunan, South Jakarta, Saturday (19/10/2024).

Natasha successfully secured the second position in two styles at once, freestyle and breaststroke. Although she lost to Caitlin Halderman, she still felt confident and did not feel defeated. “No, I didn’t drop. I know Caitlin is quite good; she was the second champion too. If she is second, she must have trained,” Natasha revealed.

Natasha shared that swimming is actually not a foreign thing for her. During her school days, she often engaged in this sport, although recently she has focused more on other fitness activities like muay thai and gym. “I used to swim between school. It was quite good back then. But for the last 10 years, I switched to other sports, muay thai to the gym. I haven’t swum for a long time,” she said.

Interestingly, Natasha entered this tournament with quite sudden preparation. She admitted she was initially doubtful about being able to compete in the event, but thanks to her boyfriend's support, she managed to perform confidently.

“I was called suddenly. Then I was like, can I do it? Then my boyfriend told me, because he used to be a school swimming athlete. He said, ‘You can do it! You need to swim like this, style it like this,’” Natasha recounted while laughing.

After successfully achieving second place, Natasha feels challenged to continue honing her skills so she can perform better in the upcoming tournaments.

“I want to try again. I want to be better. I want to strive to be first place, maybe next time,” she said optimistically.

When asked if she would focus back on swimming after this tournament, Natasha admitted she is starting to consider it. However, she plans to do it gradually. “Maybe I will swim more often again. Maybe every two weeks or so, not every week. But yeah, I have to get back into swimming, and I also need to improve my performance,” she explained.