Audy Oktavian
AGE: 28
HEIGHT: 5'9'
WEIGHT: 155
HOMETOWN: Redlands, Calif.
STATUS: Single, gay.
ETHNICITY: Indonesian and Chinese.
COLLEGE: California Baptist University, Class of 2001.
JOB: Data base administration and age-group swim coach.
GAY GAMES SPORT: Swimming for the Boston Lanes team.
BEST SWIMMING EVENTS: 100- and 200-meter breaststroke.
FIRST TIME HE SWAM: At age 5. His dad, who was his first coach, played water polo for the Indonesian National Team.
HOBBIES: Outdoor activities, such as the hanging out at the beach, hiking, surfing and backpacking. Plus, he is active in his church and enjoys watching movies.
IT'S A FACT: Swam for Indonesian National Team from 1994-2001.
IT'S ALSO A FACT: Loves to travel. Wants to go to Germany, Italy, France, Switzerland.
QUOTING COACH OKTAVIAN: 'My kids are doing very well. I love it when they have success. I even love when they just have fun in practice. That's what I really enjoy. When they have fun, that's when I really feel like I have accomplished something.'
Audy Oktavian loves to cook, particularly Asian food. 'That's my passion,' he says. But swimming is where Oktavian really sizzles.
Just consider his 2005 season for United States Masters Swimming ( USMS ) , a national organization that promotes competitions, among other swimming events, for adults aged 18 and over: He was the top finisher in seven of his 10 events, capturing first place in such races as the 100- and 200-meter breaststroke and the 100- and 200-meter Individual Medley.
He earned All-American status and was one of 22 swimmers in his age-group, 25-29, who captured a first-place … but it was Oktavian who snagged the most first-place times.
Oktavian will be in Chicago this summer—in his Speedo, of course—competing in Gay Games VII.
'I just want to give it a shot in Chicago, have fun and, well, who knows, maybe break some records,' Oktavian said. 'Most important, though, I want to have fun. I have always been involved with competitive swimming, but hopefully in the Gay Games, I can just have fun.
'My goal is to win the gold, but I really just want to have fun. I just want to swim for the fun of swimming, a sport that I really love.'
He loves swimming because, well, he's damn good at it. He made the 1996 Olympic Team for his native country, Indonesia, but the country only sent one swimmer to the '96 Summer Games in Atlanta due to budgetary constraints. He also competed in the 2000 Olympic Trials, finishing second.
'I teach little kids, so I want to teach them that I still have it, even though I'm old. Hopefully I can give them someone to look up to, even though I'm a coach,' he said, laughing. 'I don't feel any pressure heading into the Gay Games because I've had stiff competition in the past. But, I always get pressure from swimming.'
Oktavian, who lives in Southern California, has also swum in IGLA events in the past, and will again in the future. IGLA is the world's foremost international organization solely devoted to developing and promoting gay and lesbian swimming, water polo, diving and synchronized swimming. In fact, Oktavian holds two IGLA age-group ( 25-29 ) records: 200-meter breast stroke and the 100-meter butterfly.
'I don't mention my [ Indonesia National Team ] past within the gay world. If they ask or know, fine. But I don't announce the high levels,' he said. 'When I was on the national team, that was a lot of pressure—and I knew it, and not just because I was gay.
'I want to show at the Gay Games that, hey, I'm gay, but I too can compete. A lot of people assume that all gay people are all about partying, drugs and sex. Sure, that's true for some gay people, but not all. I want to show the world that gay people can be active and a top performer in their sport.
'I'm proud of my accomplishments, my records. I always want to be active and swimming is my love.'
