Athlete Spotlight
Kata is a name that carries a great deal of weight at Evans High School, and in the Augusta swim community for that matter.
Evans High School sophomore Martin Kata is in the Athlete Spotlight.
Photo by Jim Blaylock
The oldest Kata, Justin, was a two-time state champion in 2001 for the Evans swim team and now swims for the University of South Carolina.
Last year, Christian Kata won a state championship and joined Justin at South Carolina.
Now Martin, a sophomore, carries on the Kata legacy.
Martin and the rest of Georgia's best swimmers competed in the state meet at Westminster of Atlanta over the weekend.
The youngest Kata picked up where his brothers left off, with two second-place finishes in his second state meet.
The 16-year-old sophomore finished third in the 100-yard Freestyle and fifth in the 50 Free at the 2004 state meet.
On Saturday, Martin claimed second-place finishes in the 100 and 50 Free events and led the Evans boys team to an eighth-place finish.
"I was very pleased with the way I swam," Martin said. "I wanted to swim fast and get some good times, and I think I did that."
Heading into the meet, Martin had the state's best reported time in the 100 Free and was second in the 50 Free. After preliminaries, Martin had the No. 1 time in the 100 Free.
"Times don't mean anything," he said. "Some people don't report their times during the season. Some people save their best for the finals."
Martin was also part of the 200 Individual Medley Relay team that placed sixth and the 200 Free Relay team that finished fourth.
"I thought we swam really strong relays," Martin said. "I believe we built a strong base for next year."
Most of Evans' strongest swimmers, both girls and boys, are sophomores.
"I'd like to win both the 50 Free and 100 Free before I graduate," Martin said. "And I think Evans will be very strong in the next two years."