13-year-old swimmer from Westchester qualifies for US Olympic Team Trials

Claire Weinstein qualified for the 800 freestyle last month.

News 12 Staff

Feb 21, 2021, 5:25 PM

Updated 1,320 days ago

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A 13-year-old from Westchester is the youngest swimmer to qualify so far for the U.S. Olympic Team Trials.
Claire Weinstein qualified for the 800 freestyle last month.
It brings her closer to her ultimate goal of swimming for the U.S. in the Olympics.
Weinstein swims for the Westchester Aquatic Club and spoke with News 12’s Eric Feldman about her journey. "I was really happy because it was something I was working towards for a long time. It was really exciting because it was just like one step closer to my bigger goals."
Weinstein has been swimming since she was 3 years old, and began competitive swimming at age 6. That is when she met her coach, Carle Fierro.
The Westchester Aquatic Club, where she trains, was shut out of the place where they swam in New Rochelle. It got to the point where they had to practice in Long Island Sound.
A few organizations in the county stepped up, so they swim everyday, but Weinstein gets less than two hours of pool time a day. Most of the people she is going up against swim for a living.
The Olympic Trials are scheduled to be held in June. The 2020 Olympic Games are scheduled to be held in Tokyo starting on July 23.