Gratitude and enjoyment bring success.

Anton Sveinn McKee from SH was voted Hafnarfjörður's Sportsman of the Year 2019 and also the 4th best in the country. The local newspaper, Hafnfirðingur, spoke with Anton, who is extremely grateful and has set himself important goals.

„This is, first and foremost, a tremendous honour. After sacrificing a lot to get to where I am today in swimming, I see this recognition as confirmation that I am on the right path in life. It would not have occurred to me at the start of 2019 that I would have a chance of receiving these accolades, so to come this far in one year is great motivation for the 2020 Olympic year,“ says Anton, adding that his goal for this year is to be the best version of himself, try to improve every day and enjoy being able to swim.

„Since I started swimming again after a break in 2017, I have seen swimming as a privilege and I am incredibly grateful to be able to represent Iceland at the world's biggest competitions. By focusing on these goals, the success in the pool will come automatically.“

^{Anton with the 2019 Hafnarfjörður Sportswoman, Þórdís Eva Steinsdóttir, an athletics athlete from FH, and Rósa Guðbjartsdóttir, the mayor of Hafnarfjörður. Photo: Olga Björt Þórðardóttir}

Retired in 2017, but the Olympic Games are coming up.

Anton moved from Boston in the USA to a university town in Virginia to concentrate on his swimming. „Here I have a fantastic coach, Sergio Lopez, who I trust completely to get me all the way to the Olympic Games. I also do strength training with Davíð Jónatansson, who is in charge of fitness for SH-inga.“ When asked about the status of elite swimmers and the mindset required, Anton says that unfortunately, it is difficult to be an elite swimmer, as well as an elite athlete in other Olympic sports, in Iceland. „I stopped swimming in 2017 and had no plans to come back. I didn't see myself being able to just train swimming, so I went to work in the United States. After not touching a swimming pool for over 6 months, I started to get the itch to start training again. Since then, I have focused on enjoying my swimming, and that has paid off. What has kept me going, and is also the quality needed for this, is the will to see what I am capable of. I know I have much more to give, and that is why I want to continue training. The Olympic Games are the biggest sporting festival in the world and there is no greater honour than to be able to compete there on behalf of Iceland.“

Anton's club, Sundfélag Hafnarfjarðar, was named Team of the Year 2019 at the Hafnarfjörður Sports Festival. Photo: Olga Björt Þórðardóttir

„Never stop learning“

Anton says that excellent and well-educated coaches and facilities enable Icelanders to raise world-class swimmers. „The Ásvallalaugin has undoubtedly helped SH to become the strongest club in Iceland. Having such good facilities allows us to focus on getting better, instead of fighting the Icelandic weather at the Suðurbæjarlaug.“ Finally, Anton has a message for those who want to achieve great things: „Never stop learning and good things take time. I am still learning to become a better swimmer today, despite having trained for over 20 years. You can't expect to become good in a short space of time. Instead, you should set challenging but achievable goals and use yourself as the benchmark, rather than wasting energy on keeping up with what others are doing. The most important question I ask myself daily is: „Did I do everything today to become a better swimmer than I was yesterday?“

Interview with the 2019 Hafnarfjörður Sportsman was published in the Hafnfirðingur on 8 January.