Lara Bjargardottir

Bryce Alderton

Whether it be in Orange County or across the Atlantic Ocean in her

native Iceland, 21-year-old UC Irvine swimming sensation Lara

Bjargardottir swims fast, very fast.

In her freshman season with the Anteaters and coming up on only

her fifth month in the states, Bjargardottir has already swam to

stardom. In a victory over Cal State Northridge January 25

Bjargardottir broke her fifth school record of the season with a

2:19.34 in the 200-yard breaststroke while also winning the 200

individual medley in 2:07.00.

Bjargardottir has broken five of the ‘Eaters’ six school records

in the young season that include the 200 free (1:52.47), 500 free

(4:54.33), 200 IM (2:05.44) and 400 IM (4:25.73). Teammate Molly

Donelan holds the school record in the 200 fly (2:08.07), and her

time of 2:08.31 set in a dual meet against Utah broke the oldest

school record at UCI.

Bjargardottir and Donelan, along with sophomore Cheryl Jennings

and Semah Zavareh, broke the school record in the 800 free relay with

a 7:46.36, which eclipsed the old record -- 7:48.35 -- set in 1990.

Needless to say Bjargardottir speaks humbly of her early success.

“I owe it to training well, having a positive attitude and having

good coaches and good teammates,” Bjargardottir said through her

Icelandic accent. “I have great teammates and feel lucky to have met

them. It’s amazing how many new friends I’ve made.”

Bjargardottir is making the transition from her native home --

Reykjavik, Iceland -- fairly smoothly, having already learned English

growing up.

“I’m almost ashamed of how I don’t feel homesick at all,”

Bjargardottir said. “I really like the weather here. Of course there

are things I miss, but I really like it here.”

She lives on campus and hasn’t decided on a major yet. She has

favored individual sports, competing in track and field and swimming

growing up.

“My mom (Bjorg Gonsbottir) always had me at the pool.”

Bjargardottir said. “She just sent me to practice and I’ve been

swimming ever since.”

Bjargardottir has been swimming since she was 7 years old,

participating in swim clubs.

As fate would have it, an Orange County swim club -- the Mission

Viejo Nadadores -- is how Bjargardottir first learned about UCI.

“I attended a training camp and Coach Bill Rose told me about the

team and helped me contact it and it went from there,” Bjargardottir

said.

First-year head coach Brian Pajer didn’t participate much in

recruiting Bjargardottir but once he looked at her resume that

includes competing in the 2000 Sydney Olympics, he knew he had a

rising star.

“I saw her times and knew she would have a big impact on our team

this year,” Pajer said.

Bjargardottir finished 36th in the 100 free and 27th in the 200

free in Sydney.

As for the 2004 Games in Athens, Greece, Bjargardottir said she is

making plans and is deciding what events to enter. She thinks those

will be the 200 free and 100 free.

Of her records, she said the most rewarding came in the 200

breaststroke.

“That hasn’t been my main event and I haven’t swam that one that

often,” Bjargardottir said.

Pajer and Bjargardottir will make a decision in the next few weeks

about which events Bjargardottir will compete in at the conference

finals. Swimmers are only allowed to race in three events at the

conference finals. Bjargardottir usually competes in five to six

events at a meet.

“The free and IM are her two top ones, so we’re looking at the 500

free or the 200 IM on the first day with the 200 free or 400 IM the

second day,” Pajer said. “Her breast stroke is very good. A few weeks

ago she knocked off four or five seconds off her time.”

No one in school history had broken five minutes in the 500 free

prior to Bjargardottir’s clocking of 4:54.33.

“She has long arms and feels the water well,” Pajer said. “She has

a good sense of rhythm when she swims. She has adjusted very well to

the different country, training schedule and her classes.”

Swimming in the U.S. is more intense than in Iceland for

Bjargardottir, but a stricter training regimen has been beneficial.

“I’ve been training so much better here,” Bjargardottir said.

“I’ve done more weights than I did in Iceland.”

Three times a week for 3 1/2 hours each day the ‘Eaters’ swim in

addition to 45 minutes of weight training in the morning. The other

two days the ‘Eaters’ swim two hours a day and then the weekend comes

with either a meet or more practice time.

When in the water, Bjargardottir acknowledges the other swimmers

are there, but that doesn’t seem to shift her attention at all.

“I ask myself how much I want to win and that gets me going,”

Bjargardottir said. “I just dive in and try to go fast and win.”