Nikolas Antoniou: Quiet Ambition of an Olympic Swimmer Who Was Built for More
An Interview with Nikolas Antoniou By Ollimono Magazine | 2nd July 2025
This isn’t a story about obsession. It’s not about sacrifice, burnout, or all-or-nothing thinking. It’s about something quieter, steadier, and perhaps even more powerful.
Nikolas Antoniou trains like an Olympian because he is one. He studies Computer Science and Electrical Engineering at UC Berkeley, one of the hardest academic programs in the world. He has plans to work in Formula 1. And he does it all without drama, ego, or emotional chaos. He just works smartly, consistently, and without making a big deal about it.
“I’m not a swimmer. I’m a person who swims.”
We met Nikolas on a hot morning at LaCaleta, a Limassol restaurant with stunning views and a beautiful infinity pool. Fitting, isn’t it? He had just returned from the States. You might think it was for a summer holiday — but in reality, he was between his summer training block and upcoming national meets. Nikolas looked relaxed, his national team jersey on, eyes alert but not anxious. His answers weren’t rehearsed. He spoke quickly, confidently, and with the kind of mental clarity you don’t expect from a 21-year-old juggling elite sport and engineering coursework.
“You can be good at more than one thing. You just need to want it enough to organize your life around it.”
“There’s a point when sport ends” and what’s next?
Nikolas has already represented Cyprus on the biggest stage in sport — twice. He made his Olympic debut at Tokyo 2020, competing in both the 50m and 100m freestyle, and returned again for Paris 2024, where he continued to represent his country with pride.
Surprisingly, Nikolas was once a two-sport athlete. Basketball was his first love, the sport his father played for the Cyprus national team. At 14, he was on both national squads for basketball and swimming. He didn’t plan to quit either. Then an ankle injury forced him to make a decision. He never played basketball again.
“I guess it was meant to be,” he says. “And honestly, I love swimming more than ever now.”
But even today, Nikolas doesn’t treat swimming like it’s his only path. He makes time for gaming, friendships, and long-term planning outside of sport. He loves Formula 1 more than any other sport and is determined to work in that world. That’s why he’s studying hard science, not sports science. And why he talks about the future with the realism of someone who has seen others burn out.
“There’s a point when sport ends. If you build your entire identity around it, then what happens next?”
The Cost of Singular Obsession
High-performance athletes often build their entire identity around one goal — one finish line. And when that moment ends, they’re left with a terrifying question: who am I now? Studies in sports psychology confirm what many retired athletes feel depression, identity loss, even trauma, especially when there’s nothing to pivot toward. The burnout that follows isn’t just physical; it’s existential.
That’s why Nikolas’s approach feels so refreshing. He’s not hedging; he’s future-proofing. By keeping multiple passions alive and investing in connections beyond the pool, he’s writing a different kind of success story — one where stepping away from sport someday won’t feel like a fall. It will be a transition.
Nikolas emphasizes that while he’s building a parallel path in engineering, he has no intention of stepping away from competitive swimming anytime soon. His plan isn’t to graduate, find his dream job, and leave the sport behind — he wants to keep swimming, breaking records, and winning championships for as long as his body allows. He’s aiming to do it all — at the same time. And our readers have already seen several examples of this in our high-performers’ stories, how elite athletes manage to juggle demanding studies, work and winning Olympic gold medals at the same time.
“How could he keep on outperforming me?”
Nikolas is focused on craft, not clout.
He doesn’t talk much about how serious he is — he doesn’t like to show that he’s obsessed with swimming… maybe even to himself… maybe it’s part of the mental game? But it shows, especially in moments like this.
During training at Berkeley, he shared a program with a former student, Olympic swimmer — someone he’d looked up to even before choosing the university. Despite doing the exact same training, Nikolas couldn’t understand how the other swimmer consistently outperformed him. He asked his coach about it.
“He told me to come early. So I did. And I saw it — he was already there. Every day. Thirty minutes ahead of everyone else. Doing mobility work. Breathing drills. Nothing fancy — just more.”
Now, Nikolas does the same. That swimmer has only beaten him four times since.
“Swimming resets my mind. It doesn’t drain me — it centers me.”
Nikolas is a proof that performance and joy aren’t mutually exclusive. He didn’t start competing seriously until age 15 — late by swimming standards. That delay may have saved his love for the sport.
“A lot of swimmers my age are already tired. They started too young, got pushed too hard. I didn’t. I still enjoy it. I actually like training.”
His routine is intense, but he doesn’t complain. He wakes up at 5:30 a.m. for morning training, followed by gym at 7 a.m., university classes during the day, then another swimming session from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. After dinner, it’s back to studying.
And yet, when asked if he’s missing out on the social side of college life, he doesn’t flinch.
“I’m not missing anything. I don’t need parties to enjoy myself. I’m a student athlete. I’m an Olympic swimmer. I have great friends. I love what I do. That’s enough.”
Lady Luck
For all his structure, Nikolas doesn’t pretend he’s doing it alone. He talks often about the importance of connections — with teammates, mentors, and family — and doesn’t shy away from giving credit to external forces.
“If I win something, at least 50% of it is luck. The right place, the right time, the right people around me. That’s not something I forget.”
Too often, we glorify hard work as the sole currency of success. But even the most brilliant people needed a window to open. Bill Gates had early access to computers. Richard Branson had mentors who guided his vision. Steve Jobs met the right collaborators at the right time. Nikolas understands that — and it shows in the way he builds relationships, stays connected, and gives credit where it’s due.
Nikolas Antoniou: The Quiet Type
Nikolas isn’t loud about his goals. He doesn’t post training montages on Instagram. He doesn’t talk about mindset hacks. He simply shows up, trains with precision, studies with purpose, and protects his joy.
“I’m not the guy who shouts about his goals. I just want to be the guy who keeps showing up.”
When we ask how he wants to be remembered, he doesn’t hesitate:
“I don’t want to be the one who had one big success and disappeared. That’s the worst. I want to keep going. Keep building. Keep evolving.”
This isn’t the climax of his story. It’s the opening chapter.
In a world obsessed with shortcuts, Nikolas Antoniou is choosing the long game. No theatrics. No burnout. Just a clear mind, a good heart, and a deeply unshakable work ethic.
Quiet ambition. That might just be the loudest kind.
Nikolas embodies more than personal excellence. He represents the kind of Cyprus we’d all want to see flourish: ambitious but grounded, globally minded yet rooted in real values. If Nikolas is any indication of what’s emerging in Cyprus — a new generation of thoughtful, ambitious, and multidimensional talent — then the island’s future isn’t just hopeful. It’s genuinely exciting.