Isaiah Roger Aleksenko Photo: RNZ Pacific/Coco Lance
Team Northern Mariana Islands (NMI) member Isaiah Aleksenko, 19, is leading the charge among Pacific swimmers at the Mini Games 2025.
The swimming prodigy has emerged as a dominant force thus far, racking up six gold medals and making a regular appearance at the top of the leaderboards.
Of the 21 medals secured by the Northern Mariana Islands so far, nine have been gold.
Aleksenko has topped the podium in the men's 50m backstroke, 50m butterfly, 100m individual medley, 100m butterfly, 200m butterfly, and the 100m backstroke, marking himself as a dominant force amongst Pacific's top swimmers.
"Individually, I've got five gold (now six), and in relays we got a bronze and silver," he said.
But it's not just the medals that define Aleksenko - the youngster's mindset toward swimming has largely contributed to his success.
"I try to keep a positive mindset when competing, because that's important," he said.
"Swimming is a sport that really requires mental strength. Any negative thoughts can affect your race, so I always focus on staying positive."
That philosophy, hand-in-hand with his undeniable talent, is working.
Isaiah Alekenkso and mum, Yulia Alekenkso Photo: Contributed to Marianas Variety/Candy Feliciano
Aleksenko's journey began at the age of five, encouraged into the sport by his mother - an idea she had initially proposed as a way of keeping him fit and healthy.
"She wanted to make sure I stayed active, so I swam," he said. "But after a while, I started getting really good, and she made sure I stuck to it."
In a 2024 interview with Marianas Variety, Aleksenko's mum Yulia spoke about how she wanted to nurture his talent.
"At first, I just wanted Isaiah to have a sport after school," she said.
"But when he started training, the coaches saw he was incredibly talented. From his practice, I could also see he had a gift for swimming that could be developed."
In the same interview with Marianas Variety editor Candy Feliciano, Yulia said that maintaining his interest was difficult.
He initially wanted to quit when he first started, so she took a creative approach to keeping his interest - learning how to swim alongside him, although scared of swimming herself.
"While Isaiah was training, I was learning and training too. I wanted to show Isaiah we could both do it," she told Marianas Variety.
Now, 14 years later, Alekenkso is a rising star on the international stage.
In 2023, at his first official meet, Aleksenko clinched five gold medals and broke four records.
In 2024, he was named the Northern Marianas Overall Sports Male Student-Athlete of the Year.
Aleksenko is quick to credit those around him, however, thanking his coaches, teammates, and mum for his success.
"Without them, this would be impossible," he said.
There's also a sense of cultural pride and camaraderie that fuels him at events like the Mini Games.
"We're all from the islands here, and it's really motivating to compete against all these guys. There's so much energy. Even if someone comes last, we're still clapping for them, we cheer each other on a lot."
Northern Mariana Islands swimmer Isaiah Aleksenko with his supporters at the 2025 Pacific Mini Games in Koror. 1 July 2025 Photo: Facebook / Mariana Press
Despite his dominance, Aleksenko wants to make sure that he uplifts the next generation of swimmers, too.
"I'm at the top, but there are definitely young swimmers that are coming up fast," he said. "I want to motivate them to do better, that's important for our future."
One of his defining moments as a swimmer was as a spectator watching world-class swimmers at the World Championships.
"When I first went to world champs, it was really motivating. I got to watch all these world-class swimmers, the best in the world. That was my biggest stick-out moment."
Aleksenko has shown himself as a top swimmer in the region, in a sport that had been dominated by Tahiti in the past.
His performances in Koror already places him as a favourite going into the 2027 Pacific Games in Tahiti.
