The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

IZAAK Bastian, one of the country’s top swimmers, has announced that he’s “reached a crossroad” in his life and will be stepping away from the sport to focus his attention on pursuing his doctorate of physical therapy degree upon his anticipated graduation in 2025.

After much contemplation, Bastian, who is winding down his studies at Florida State, announced over the weekend in a letter to the media that he made the decision to step away from competitive swimming for the foreseeable future.

“I’m happy with what I have done and I’m hoping that other people in the sport would find the inspiration from it and take it further,” said Bastian, who is enjoying a well-deserved trip to Lisbon, Portugal.

“So I’m pleased with it and stepping out of the sport this way.”

The 22-year-old Bastian said the highlight of his career would have been growing up with so many people as they endured their struggles and trials and making so many friends, whom he went on to compete against.

“I don’t like to focus on the negative too much, so I don’t think I’ve had any disappointing moments,” he stated. “I think I had a lot of experiences and lessons learnt throughout my career. You learn from everything, whether it is good or bad, so I don’t think I had any disappointments.”

Bastian, the son of Rochelle and Darren Bastian, said there have been so many people who have impacted his life and he can’t leave without expressing his gratitude to all of them.

“I wanted to take a moment to express my sincere gratitude to the entire media team for being a part of my journey,” he wrote. “The influence of the media cannot be underestimated, and I am deeply grateful for how you have responsibly reported on the sport, shedding light on the hard work, perseverance, and sacrifices required in the world of competitive swimming.

“I extend my gratitude to all the reporters, photographers, editors, producers, and everyone behind the scenes who worked tirelessly to bring more publicity to the sport and the hard work of many of the athletes that I have the pleasure of calling my friends.”

To the public, Bastian said their unwavering support has been a driving force behind his journey.

“Your cheers, encouragement, and support have lifted me through triumphs and challenges,” he wrote. “Your belief in me has inspired my pursuit of excellence, and I can’t thank you enough. You all have made this journey extraordinary, and I am forever thankful.”

While he’s stepping back from competing, Bastian said he plans to give back to the sport that has given so much to him as he further pursues his education.

“I want to give back to the kids a little more and that is something that I can achieve a little more, now that I am no longer on the competitive side,” he said.

“If that is helping out with coaching or giving lessons or just being someone as a resource for them to use if they have any questions about my process or their own individual process, I just want to be a bank of knowledge if they need it.”

In his advice to the younger swimmers following in his footsteps, Bastian encouraged them to have “fun in the process,” which is the most important aspect of the sport.

“When you race, it’s only for a few seconds or minutes at a time and that’s such a small amount when compared to the time you put into training,” he said. “So have fun with the grind and compare yourself with yourself.

“Don’t look at other people and be hard on yourself. If you are better than yesterday, that’s a win. So keep up the hard work and be happy and you will enjoy your longevity in the sport like I did.”

During his career, Bsstian collected a pair of medals at the Commonwealth Youth Games, he participated in the Central American and Caribbean Games, two Commonwealth Games, the World Championships a few times and once at the Olympic Games in 2021.

A multiple CARIFTA medalist and record holder, Bastian also particip[anted in the CCCAN Championships and CISC Championships where he also also won a few medals.

As a college student/athlete ast Florida State, Bastian left his mark with a pair of records and he made it to the NCAA Championships all four years he competed and was All-American and their relay teams. He also went to the ACC Championships where he medaled.

Despite the fact that he still have another year of eligibility at Florida State, Bastian said he;s decided to