When you're a university student, juggling classes, studying, and extra-curricular activities can be quite a challenge. Now, imagine you are not just aiming toward an academic degree but are also pursuing a career as a professional athlete on the international stage. Yes, when you are both a top swimmer for the Lithuanian Olympic Swim Team and a Franklin student guaranteed there is never a dull moment in your day.
Franklin senior Saverio Multin ’22 has been an athlete since the age of 8 when he first discovered his love for swimming and joined the local team in Vilnius, Lithuania. Initially just a passion, swimming turned into serious business when Saverio and his family moved to Ticino in 2014, where he joined Ticino’s A-Club Savosa and also trained with Noè Ponti, a Swiss swimmer who competed and won a bronze medal at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
By the age of 13, Saverio was investing most of his energy in swimming practice. His weekly schedule turned into several hours of training per day, shifting between swimming and weightlifting, 6 days a week. He also started receiving recognition and offers of scholarships from different US colleges and universities. However, he felt at home in Ticino and decided to stay in the area, continuing his training at the local “centro sportivo” and selecting a university in the neighborhood.
"Franklin was exactly what I was looking for – I am a hands-on learning person. I love to be part of a small-scale community where I can interact with all classmates and professors on a daily basis" commented Saverio. When asked how he manages to balance schoolwork with his professional swimming career he replied, "it’s not the easiest, but when you are mentally focused and committed you can achieve great things." Saverio surely put his mind to it and joined the Lithuanian National team in 2020 while concurrently pursuing a bachelor's degree at Franklin.
At Franklin, Saverio is majoring in Communication and Media Studies and recollects his favorite classes so far being Italian and Italian-American Cinema with Professor Ferrari and the Marketing for Movies Academic Travel to Rome with Professor Miniero.
About studying Saverio said "swimming has always been my number one priority, but education is equally important to me. I have always been into the movie and film-making industry and would really like to earn a master’s degree in marketing and communication for movies one day. For now, though, my goal is to graduate in May 2023 and to train incessantly for the next Olympics in 2024." With a smile he concluded, “it would be pretty cool to be an Olympian!"
So, aside from the most exciting event of all, the Paris 2024 Olympics, what’s next on Saverio’s busy calendar? The upcoming FINA Swimming World Cup in Berlin in October 2022, an international competition gathering world-class swimmers competing over a two-day period. Right after Berlin, Saverio will be flying to Arizona, U.S., for a 3-week intensive swimming boot camp in Arizona, where he will be swimming and training for three weeks. Lastly, 2023 also holds a very exciting competition, FISU World University Games (Universiade), an international multi-sport event organized for university athletes, where Saverio will be representing both Lithuania and Franklin.
Saverio, what is left to say but “just keep swimming”!
Read more about Saverio’s swimming journey here.