Ore Cherebin's Olympic Journey: From Grenada to Fairfield (by way of York, Pa.) to Rio

She doesn’t need an “Ore” to swim! The breaststroke and butterfly have taken Ore Cherebin from Grenada, to Fairfield, CT (by way of York, PA) and finally to Brazil. Cherebin, the incoming Fairfield University freshman swimmer from St. George, Grenada, will represent her country in the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

The future Stag amphibian will compete for the first time in the Olympics, after garnering the Grenadian colors at the Commonwealth Games in 2014, the FINA World Championships in 2013 and 2015, and the 2015 Pan American games.

Cherebin will do battle in the 100 butterfly and 100 breaststroke events, and hopes to literally make a big, Stag-style splash.

“Being an Olympian is a huge honor and means more than words can describe,” says the butterfly and breaststroke artist. “I almost can't believe it. It's a dream come true to be able to be part of team Grenada in Rio.”

She has fond memories of her homeland: “I used to live in a town called Good Hope, in St. George. Living in Grenada were all good memories. Where I lived, it was a forested area, very calm compared to the busy streets of the United States. It was a very calm and relaxing lifestyle. You could walk in the middle of the road without the fear of being run over by a car.”

Cherebin found Fairfield, and looks forward to competing for the Stags, with hopefully a medal in tow.“It was a lot more than just because of the swim team,” says the elite swimmer. “I visited Connecticut and liked the area, and started looking at schools there when came across Fairfield. I looked at the swim team, and like the coach (Janelle Atkinson-Wignall) and the school.”

“The landscape of Connecticut reminds me of home,” she adds.

There was more East Coast landscape prior to Rio. Cherebin trained at the York (Pa.) YMCA. “I didn’t chose York, it was by coincidence,” she says. ”I had family living there, and my aunt and uncle were gracious enough to let me live with them and suggested train there. That team was perfect for me and I loved it there.”

Now, Ore Cherebin is hoping for more perfection in Rio, as the Summer Olympics get underway on August 5.

Fairfield’s Colleen Young on Paralympic Team

Colleen Young is on also on her way to Rio de Janiero, too! Another future Fairfield University swimmer qualified for the United States Paralympic Team at the Trials in Charlotte, North Carolina at the Mecklenburg County Aquatic Center from June 30 through July 2.

Over three days, the St. Louis native swam in four events earning three first place finishes, one second place finish, while setting a new American and Pan American record. On Day one, her lone event was the 100 breaststroke in which she finished first in 1:16.72, a new American and Pan American record. On Friday, Young earned a victory in the 50 freestyle with a time of 28.54.

Fairfield Swim Coach Atkinson-Wignall ESPN Caribbean Commentator

And speaking of swimmers from the Caribbean, Fairfield University Swimming and Diving Head Coach Janelle Atkinson-Wignall will serve as an ESPN Caribbean Commentator for the Olympic Games, so the Stags will be well represented in Rio.

The two-time Olympian and seven-time Jamaican "Swimmer of the Year" is the first woman to coach both the men's and women's swimming and diving teams in school history. A native of Kingston, Jamaica, Janelle's Jamaican roots are very important to her. “I am proud of my culture and heritage.”

More on Atkinson-Wignall: She is yet another Kingston super star, like fellow Jamaican Patrick Ewing, the Knicks Hall of Famer. Janelle says that she “has never met Ewing, but that would be pretty cool. The Caribbean islands overall admire all the people that come from there, they band together.”

The former UConn assistant coach competed successfully in two Olympiads, first in the 2000 Sydney Games and then the 2004 Athens Games. She finished fourth in the 400-meter freestyle, very close to obtaining a medal, and ninth in the 800-meter freestyle in Sydney. She also swam in the 200 and 400-meter freestyle during the games in Athens.

“Looking back (at the Olympic experience), it was an amazing achievement,” she says. “Olympics are stressful. You start off the sport for yourself, you compete for yourself. Once in the Olympics, you are competing for your family, your friends, a whole country. You are representing them. There is a lot of pressure there. It can be overwhelming.”

Reflecting on her fourth place finish in 2004, and her near-miss for a medal, she says: “I just wanted to be in the final race. That was my goal. I started off tenth overall, and when I saw that after the prelims I was ranked third, I was mad because I did not want to race in the middle lanes; I wanted one of the outer lanes. I thought I would be embarrassed and finish last. Before the race, I decided that it didn’t matter what would happen and took the pressure off myself. I could see the 1st and 2nd lane and saw that they were still behind me. I had no idea what position I was in until the end. I only knew that I wasn’t last.”

Atkinson-Wignall was however a medalist at the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester, England, the 2001 Goodwill Games in Brisbane, Australia, and the 1999 Pan-American Games in Winnipeg, Canada.

In addition, she is a seven-time recipient of the Jamaican Swimmer of the Year award and a six-time nominee for the Jamaican Sportswoman of the Year.

“Swimming is not a highly publicized and supported sport in Jamaica, but it is great to be considered and nominated for the Athlete of the Year award among the track and field athletes and other more publicized sports.”