Hiro proud of former wards Ashley, Aasish

Tsunami Saipan Swimming Center coach Hiroyuki Kimura poses with Ashley and Aasish Dangol in this file photo. (CONTRIBUTED PHOTO)

Tsunami Saipan Swimming Center coach Hiroyuki Kimura couldn’t be more proud of former swimmers Ashley and Aasish Dangol.

The siblings recently made waves in their parents’ home country of Nepal after they broke national records left and right.

“I’m so proud of Ashley and Aasish’s performance in Nepal. I started coaching Ashley when she was just 5 years old and Aasish when he was 3 years old. But they didn’t immediately show their swimming talent,” he said.

Kimura said Ashley, in particular, cried when she started out at Tsunami Saipan.

“She couldn’t enter the pool and during practice she cried and ran out of the pool. It was a very hard time for me but a great memory. When she was 7 years old, she was not selected as a member of the 8-and-under girls relay. That must have been very frustrating for her, but her progress from there was amazing.” 

In the same year, at just 7 years old Ashley became the youngest swimmer selected for the Guam Swimming Championship and there she won the first of many swimming medals. 

Kimura said Aasish had a little bit of an advantage over her older sister as he already had an idea of how the club worked from Ashley having joined the club earlier.

“However, it also became a shackle for him at the same time. His older sister was going to break NMI records one after another! She went to almost every meet and won all the time,” he said.

While there may have been some pressure on the young Aasish, it was pretty clear early on that he wouldn’t let it bother him because in his mind he and his sister were equals. That overconfidence originally hampered his development, but he eventually out-grew it and became a hard worker. 

“Aasish practiced hard, so when he was 8 years old, he broke the very high-level NMI record, which was said to be unbreakable for 10 years. I believe that this is where his self-reliant spirit awakened. From here, Aasish’s raging rush began,” said Kimura.

Aside from their persistence in the pool, it also helped that Ashley and Aasish also studied the sport with a passion when they’re not swimming. 

“They were very smart kids. They thought a lot about swimming on their own, researched, and studied. They were the kids who understood 10 when I taught 1. When I visited their home before, there were a lot of goals pasted in front of their desk.”

And the other important point, Kimura said, was that their parents were also very intelligent and always encouraged their children to do their best. 

“This is more important than their children’s own ability. I think there were some hardships after moving to the U.S. mainland, but they made greater progress there as well. It is proof that their current coach is so wonderful. I am really happy they were blessed with a great coach there,” he said.

Asked whether the siblings would have accomplished what they achieved in Nepal if they continued swimming on Saipan, Kimura said he believes they would have. 

“If they were still on Saipan and kept practicing with Tsunami Saipan, I’m sure they might be able to mark Nepal records like this time.”

The Tsunami Saipan coach wishes his former wards the best and hopes for their continued success in the sport.

“I really hope they are not too satisfied with this. I believe they can climb to higher stages. Especially for Aasish, Team USA is not a dream. I want them to always aim higher and do their best,” he said.