Punahou swimmer leaves water polo in his wake

By Dennis Anderson
Advertiser Staff Writer

Noa Sakamoto shows off the swimming medals he won at the Australia Youth Olympic Festival. Sakamoto said he missed the "fun of the team experience of water polo, but when I made the Junior National (Swim) Team I figured I should try my best to represent my country well." Eugene Tanner • The Honolulu Advertiser

Noa Sakamoto of Manoa was a state champion swimmer and a very promising water polo player.

Within six months after he reluctantly dropped water polo to concentrate on swimming, Sakamoto was chosen on the U.S. Junior National Team and won two silver medals and a bronze at his first international meet, the four-nation Australia Youth Olympic Festival Jan. 9-12 in Sydney.

Sakamoto, who marked his 17th birthday on the plane en route to Sydney, qualified for the 2004 U.S. Olympic Trials in the 400-meter freestyle. He needs to trim 1/100th of a second more to also qualify for the 200 freestyle and half-second to get into the 400 individual medley trials next year.

Swimming's gain was Punahou water polo coach Ken Smith's loss. Sakamoto, a junior, "would have been a key player for us," Smith said. "We really wanted him."

John Flanagan, a former U.S. National team open-water swimmer and one of Sakamoto's coaches, said giving up water polo "was a hard decision for him, but it made a big difference.

"He trained better than he ever has, a lot more consistent — more good days than bad days," Flanagan said.

"We told him that to perform at the level the National Team expects, he had to concentrate and be in peak swimming training. Otherwise, he would never know how far he could go."

The Junior National Team members made a trip to the Olympic Training Center in November. "He came back fired up and got more excited," Flanagan said. "He turned around in a big way and swam incredible in practice."

Kevin Flanagan, John's brother and co-coach, said: "Noa dropped a lot of time very quickly. It's endless what he can do ... who knows."

During the high school season, Sakamoto trains with the Flanagans and their Kamehameha Swim Club in the morning and at Punahou with the high school team in the afternoons.

Kenny Chew, associate head swimming coach at Punahou, said Sakamoto "is one of those special kids who is willing to work hard and has talent. Ever since he was young (he won a state age-group championship at age 10), he has put in the time and effort to be a great swimmer."

Sakamoto started swimming when he was 9, following his sister, Sara. His father swam at Princeton and his mother in junior college.

Noa also tried gymnastics, soccer, and a season each of baseball, basketball and track and field, but he liked the water best.

"When I was little it was fun being around the older kids at Punahou Aquatics," he said.

Last fall, "I missed the fun of the team experience of water polo," Sakamoto said, "but when I made the Junior National Team, I figured I should try my best to represent my country well."

He may be doing that for years to come.

EXTRA LAPS: Sakamoto and Iolani School senior Hongzhe Sun were among 31 teen-aged swimmers nationwide chosen to represent the USA in the Australian festival. Sun won a bronze medal in the 100-meter backstroke. He had previously qualified for the 2004 U.S. Olympic Trials in the 100 and 200 backstroke. ... Coach Ken Smith's Punahou water polo team got by without Sakamoto. The Buffanblu won their 26th Interscholastic League of Honolulu championship in 29 years. ... Sakamoto's cumulative grade-point average after last spring was 3.8. He had to study for semester exams on the plane coming home from Sydney and take the tests his first two days at school.