The Mestre brothers and a very familiar Olympic legacy for Venezuela

|| AFP Agency

***Both have Olympic experience from Tokyo-2020 and now aspire to follow in their father’s footsteps and get into the fight for the podium***

With a surname that is synonymous with swimming in Venezuela, brothers Alberto and Alfonso Mestre will compete in Paris with the responsibility of honoring their father’s Olympic legacy, and the hope of surpassing it.

Four decades ago, Alberto Mestre thrilled his country in the Olympic Games in Moscow in 1980 and Los Angeles in 1984, where he reached two finals, among many other successes that elevated him to the status of the great Venezuelan swimming figure alongside Rafael Vidal.

In Paris, the self-proclaimed ‘Team Mestre’ has a double opportunity to expand the family dynasty.

A sprinter like his father, Alberto Mestre Jr. will compete in the 50 and 100 meter freestyle events while Alfonso will swim in the 400 and 800 meter freestyle events.

GOAL AN OLYMPIC FINAL

Both have Olympic experience from Tokyo-2020 and now aspire to follow in their father’s footsteps and get into the fight for the podium.

“I reached the semi-finals at the last Games and now my real goal is to get into the final of the 50m freestyle, where anything can happen. I want to at least have the chance to be on that podium,” Alberto Mestre said in an interview with AFP.

“My father managed to reach two finals and I hope to match his goal in Paris, but the big dream is to go even further and win a medal,” said Alfonso.

At 22, Alfonso has already emulated his father’s successes at the Pan American Games. While Alberto Mestre won five medals in front of his home crowd at the 1983 edition of the Games in Caracas, his youngest son won two silver medals (400m and 800m freestyle) and a bronze (1,500m freestyle) last year in Santiago.

“Those medals gave me a confidence that I didn’t have, because I went to Tokyo without any international experience,” Alfonso recalls. “People think a lot of me and I like that. I’m making a name for myself and I continue to carry the Mestre name as high as possible.”

THE WEIGHT OF A LAST NAME

From their first strokes, the brothers had to learn to handle the weight of expectations. That burden and the sacrifices that this sport entails made Alberto Mestre initially reluctant to let his children follow in his footsteps in the pool.

“He knew what was coming if we wanted to get to the same place as him, the same path, the same sacrifices. That’s why he decided to put us in some other sport to see if something easier would come out,” Alberto Jr. recalls.

“Alfonso and I played soccer, beach volleyball, golf, baseball, any sport you can name,” he explains. “Around age 12, my father told us it was time to focus on one sport. I decided on swimming and a couple of years later, so did Alfonso.”

“My father made us very aware of all the sacrifice and discipline that was needed to be a good swimmer. It was not going to be an easy path, but we decided to become swimmers and follow my father’s legacy,” says Alfonso.

“In the end, I think my father felt very proud,” his older brother stresses. “Especially because it was a decision we made without being forced, which was the most important thing for him.”

Being involved in different disciplines helped the brothers avoid rivalries among themselves.

“We were very competitive in other sports, but in swimming we never competed against each other,” explains Alberto. “At home we always supported each other.”