Kaylene Corbett is a fierce champion girl in and out of SA, as she has proudly represented our nation last year in her green and gold in Samoa at the Commomwealth Youth Games. Congratulations to Kaylene on her recent victories at the SA National Age Group Level 3 Champs (18-22 March 2016) in PE: Gold in 50m breaststroke, Gold in 100m breaststroke, Gold 200m breaststroke, 3rd for 200m IM and 3rd for 4x100m Medley Relay.
It looks to me like we have the next Penny Heyns in the making, this is absolutely marvellous. Kaylene not only excels in swimming but also in her faith in God and is a firm advocate of a well educated youth. She says: “I am very dedicated and motivated to the things that I love, when I put my mind to something I would do anything in my power to achieve it”.
Athlete: Bio / Stats |
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| Name & Surname | Kaylene Corbett |
| Nick Name | Corbett |
| Date of birth | 15 June 1999 |
| Place of birth | Bloemfontein |
| Current City | Port Elizabeth |
| Height | 1.73m |
| Shoe Size | 5 |
| Club | Port Elizabeth Amateur Swimming (PEA) |
| Coach’s Name | Mark Edge |
| Out of Country events | Commonwealth Youth Games, Fina World Cup (Doha and Dubai legs) |
| Favorite Song/ type of music | I enjoy lots of different types of music. It can vary from drum and bass to pop. My favorite artist is definitely Justin Bieber. |
| Favorite Movie | Tangled |
| School & Grade | Pearson High School, Gr11 |
| Sponsors | NurtiTech, TYR and The Eastern Cape Academy of Sport (ECAS) |
| Twitter
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Twitter- @kaylenecorbett
Instagram- @kaylenecorbett Facebook – Kaylene Corbett |
| Parents Names, Siblings | Mom- Marly Corbett
Dad- Jacques Corbett Sister – Micolé Corbett (3) Brother- Jadon Corbett (14) |
INTERVIEW:
Q: You are passionate and doing so well in your Swimming tell me a little bit about how you started in Swimming and your journey in the Swimming arena up to now?
My brother is to thank for the start of my swimming career in Hartswater. He was absolutely terrified of water when we were younger. I in the other hand was in love with water from the beginning, my mom use to call me her water baby. So my parents took my brother and I to a lady called Linda Mullin when I was about 6/7 to get us water safe. I quickly took to the sport and started competing in galas at the age of 8. I definitely struggled at the beginning of my swimming but from the beginning Aunty Linda use to say she knows I’m going to be a breaststroker. In 2010 we moved from Hartswater to Port Elizabeth and one of the reasons for our move was for my swimming career. In PE my love for the sport and my dedication grew and now I’m still going strong after 8 years.
Q: You did brilliant by medaling and proudly represented our beautiful nation as part of Team SA at the 2015 Commonwealth Youth Games, Apia, Samoa (5-12 September 2015). Wow – Well done! How did you experience that?
Thank you so much!!! The week of the Youth Commonwealth Games was definitely a once in a life time experience and I will never forget that week. It was my first time to leave South Africa and it was also my first time to represent my country and it was everything I thought it would be. It was such a great experience as we got to see a part of the world that not a lot of people would ever see. The racing was done in a breathtaking pool the Samoan people are so friendly and happy all the time. At every gala you learn something new about yourself and about other people at this particular gala I learnt that you can never give up and you should always strive to be even better and to never settle with what you’ve achieved always aim higher. It also learned to dream even bigger.
Q: In your opinion, what is the value of Education in a young person’s life?
Education is number one priority. You can be incredible in sport but if you don’t have something to fall back on when sport fails you have nothing. You should also try balance the two if sport is important to you and if you want to make a career out of it or become a professional sportsman/woman you should maybe look at homeschooling so you have more time to focus on your sport. It is very important that we become educated youth so we can grow the country because after all we are the leaders of tomorrow. I’m very fortunate to have a school that cares, Pearson High School, that helps me cope with everything when I am out of school weeks on end and the teachers strive to help me understand and get through all the work so I can be ready for exams/tests.
Q: Would you like to share a little bit more about your faith journey and how it has affected your life / sports?
God is a big part of my life and he has given me everything I have today. I grew up with my mom reading Bible stories to me and so God has always been part of my daily basis. I owe everything to Him. When the going got tough God was always there.
Q: What do you do to relax?
Spending time with family and friends is something I love doing and it always have me in a good mood, I also enjoy reading and watching tv.
Q: What is your personal favourite motivational quote?
In order to succeed you must first believe that you can.
Q: What is your favourite Bible Scripture?
“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” – Phil 4:13
Q: In your opinion, how do you define success in life?
A successful person in my eyes is someone who tried everything in order to succeed. Someone who is happy with what they have attained and what they worked for.
Q: What is your biggest challenge, and what do you do to manage this challenge?
My biggest challenge is to wake up in the morning for morning training. I am not a morning person so unfortunately I hate waking up at 4:30am to go to swimming. To manage this I try to go to bed as early as possible and when I wake up try and think about my goals I want to achieve.
Q: What’s your WHY ? Why do you do what you do?
My “why” is because I absolutely love the sport. It’s something I enjoy doing, It’s something I want to do for a very long time.
Q: What is your message of encouragement to South African and African youth and our nation?
Never ever give up.
Q: What are you most grateful for in your life at the moment?
First of all God cause He gave me the talent and love for the sport. He also helps me through all the tough times when I don’t want to do anything. Second of all my mom and dad they do everything for me and when I mean everything, I mean they drive me around everywhere. When I need something they got it covered. They support me with everything and love me even when I fail.
Q: What are your upcoming events where your fans can follow and support you?
SA age group Level 3 (17-21 March)
SA nationals and Olympic trials (10-16 April)
Q: Anything else you would like to share?
I would just like to personally thank my parents, for everything they do for me daily; I love them with all my heart, and my sponsors for everything.
Thank you so much for taking this interview. We would like to wish you all the best for your journey ahead. We look forward to following you as you go from strength to strength. Blessings!
NB – All images were supplied by the athlete to Heslop Sports. If there are any images that are not credited correctly, please email info@heslopsports.co.za with the details and we will gladly do so immediately.
