Three-time Olympian Akiko Thomson is excited about the possibility of her daughter, Sachiko, following in her footsteps and competing in top-tier international swimming events.
In an interview with broadcaster Bernadette Sembrano on her vlog, Akiko revealed that Sachiko, born with Down syndrome, shows incredible athleticism and strength in the pool.
Despite Sachiko’s unique challenges, Akiko described her as a “fish” in the water, with her own style of freestyle swimming.
“She is a fish. It’s hard for me to teach her because gusto niyang gawin ano gusto niya gawin. She is a visual learner. I see her doing the freestyle pero it’s her own freestyle. But, we’ll get there. I’m just very hopeful for her,” said Akiko.
She expressed hope that one day she might make it to the Special Olympics. “She is a very good swimmer. She’s very athletic and very strong. I’m hopeful na one day baka Special Olympics,” said Akiko.
In the same interview, she also spoke about how raising Sachiko has been both an adventure and a learning experience for her, her husband Samuel, and their sons Noah and Elijah.
“Raising her, what it taught me, is an adventure. She is not gonna walk when typical kids walk. She is not gonna talk when typical kids talk. But with right support and intervention, she’ll get there at her own pace,” said the most accomplished Filipina swimmer.
“You can see God’s hand upon us. It’s been an eye opener for me and I feel like she opened my eyes. Sachiko is our therapy during the COVID-19 (pandemic). Maybe the IQ is not so high but her EQ is high, super high,” she added.
