Page 26 - FIS World November 2016

A Champion Among Us
An FIS Alumnus nds success in the pool
Stefano Razeto (©MirkoSeifert)
If you’ve ever checked out books from the Upper School library, you’ve likely met Stefano Razeto. But what you may not know is that he is also a champion swimmer,
whose racing career started while he was a student at FIS.
Stefano, Class of 2004, won three gold medals – and set a European record – at the European Masters Championship in London this past May. He also competed at the German Nationals in Berlin, winning 2nd place in two B Final races: the 50 m Butter y and the 50 m Freestyle.
Born in Brussels to Italian parents, Stefano’s family moved to Italy when he was a child. It was there that he developed a love for the water and by the time he was 11, he was swimming competitively and winning races.
Stefano’s family relocated to Germany in 1998, and he started swimming in the local club, SG Frankfurt, which had a demanding coach. Stefano said, “He taught the swimmers to be physically and mentally tough and how to race.” Stefano was winning medals at the state and regional levels, but it wasn’t until he was in Grade 11 that he was able to compete on a national level. By Grade 12 he had won his rst national race in the 50-meter Backstroke.
Stefano says the positive energy and team spirit of FIS were great motivators for him. His teachers allowed him to have a exible schedule when necessary so that he could attend competitions. He completed the full IB – in his family, “academics come rst” – and says he honestly doesn’t know how it would have happened without the support he received at FIS.
After graduating from FIS he took a gap year to focus on training and swimming. His older brother, also an FIS grad, suggested he go to the University of Bath, England to study and swim. He did and that is where, he says, “it got interesting – the swimmers were from all over the world: Barbados, Australia, New Zealand, etc.” With the help of his new Russian coach, a sports scientist, Stefano learned to swim faster. Athletically, he focused on tness,
24 FIS World November 2016
conditioning, and mental strength during his rst two years, and during his third year, worked on re ning his technique. With this training regime, he was able to win a silver medal in the 200 m Butter y at the 2008 Beijing Olympic trials in Berlin.
German Nationals
In May, Stefano competed at the German Nationals in Berlin, which was particularly competitive as athletes could qualify for the National Team and Rio Olympics. In both races, he placed second in the B nal, which is 11th overall.
• 50 m Butter y Heat 24,70 seconds 10th / Final 24,65 seconds (11th overall)
• 50 m Freestyle Heat 23,55 seconds 20th / Final 23,32 seconds (11th overall)
European Masters Championships 2016
A record number of 10,000 athletes competed in the European Masters Championships in May 2016, partly due to athletes’ desire to swim in the pool built for the 2012 London Olympics. The Masters Event competition was a rst for Stefano but he won three European titles, including one European Record (Age Group 30-34):
• Gold Medal 50 m Freestyle 23,60 seconds
• Gold Medal 100 m Freestyle 51,87 seconds
• Gold Medal and European Record 50 m Butter y 24.67
seconds
Stefano currently trains four hours a day during the week (two hours at the gym and two hours of swimming) and ve on Saturdays. Asked about plans for the future, he says with a big smile, “the World Masters in 2017 will be in Budapest.”
Nancy Huston
Development and Alumni Relations Manager