Before triathlete James Dennis Chronis falls asleep at night and when he awakes in the morning, there’s only one thought on his mind: the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio.
But before that can become a reality, the 22-year-old must get through the Continental Cup in Takapuna, New Zealand next month and the first European Games in Azerbaijan in June, where he will have the honour of representing Greece, the birth place of his grandparents and the country of his heritage.
“Australia was great to represent, but being such a competitive nation it was hard to get spots into races as you are only allocated six spots in main events,” Chronis explains.
“I’d always had the option [of representing Greece] at the back of my mind and obviously being Greek Australian, I wouldn’t have minded representing my heritage country.”
Following discussions with the Greek Triathlon Federation and the green light from the Australian Triathlon Federation, Chronis is feeling positive about the transition to the Greek side.
Currently ranked 35th in Europe, his ultimate goal is to represent Greece at the Olympics, whether it be Rio in 2016 or Tokyo in 2020, and to get there he approaches his sport like one would a full time job.
A lifestyle choice, to reach such an elite sporting level, the regime Chronis has adopted demands his commitment daily and is nothing short of intense.
The triathlete trains two to three times a day, swimming twice a day with a run in between and a ride every second day to prepare him for the 1500m swim, 40km bike ride and the 10km run that awaits him.
“This morning for instance, I was up at 4.30 am and I went for a two and half hour bike ride and in about half an hour I’m going for a swim. Then I also have massages and physiotherapy because my body gets put through quite a lot of pressure and then at 5 o’clock I have a run as well. So it takes up the whole day,” he tells Neos Kosmos.
But this lifestyle is not new for Chronis, who has been waking up in the early hours of the morning for his love of swimming since the age of 12.
“I was a competitive swimmer state-wise and national-wise. It was pretty competitive and I didn’t grow too much more, so everyone was beating me by their height,” he recalls.
“One of my teachers recommended I do a triathlon for a school competition. So I did my first triathlon down in Mordialloc and I won it. Did the next one, I won that.”
In his debut year, Chronis became the state champion, taking the victory as a sign to officially transition across to triathlons, and has gone from strength to strength ever since.
“There are obviously moments when you wake up at 4.30 am and think ‘It’s early, I haven’t slept enough’. But having a good network around you of positive people – I’ve found that’s a good key and thankfully that’s what I do have,” he says.
“I’ve got great support from my family and friends around me and sponsors as well. If they believe in my, I believe in myself. It’s a great way to stay motivated.”
Chronis’ major sponsor is his uncle, Greek Australian businessman and philanthropist Andreas Andrianopoulos, who has generously helped the young athlete to get to where he is today.
In the upcoming European Games all eyes will be on Chronis, as he competes as the only Greek representative in the triathlon event amongst sixty other competitors.
Passionate about what he does, he encourages anyone with similar aspirations to give it a go and follow their dreams.
“Put yourself around positive people and always strive for your best. Believe in yourself and anything can happen, dreams do come true,” he says.
“I’ve always thought of going to the Olympics since I was a young boy and slowly, slowly, step by step, it’s getting closer fingers crossed! There’s always a light at the end of the tunnel, no matter how hard you think it is.”