Hard work. Determination. Persistence. Family support. Heritage.

It all paid off for a swimmer from Vernon, who got a recent chance to swim for the country of her birth.

Hera Serzane, 15, swam for Latvia at the European Youth Olympic Festival in North Macedonia, which she and her family described as an "incredible stepping stone for her growth as an athlete and as a person. She now has invaluable international experience that will serve as a foundation for her future goals ."

Serzane and her family moved from Latvia to Toronto in 2010, when she was just six-weeks old. The family lived in Toronto for 10 years where Serzane started swimming for clubs in Toronto and York.

The family moved to Vernon in 2020, and Serzane joined the Vernon Kokanee Swim Club, where she's been a dedicated mem

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