大象传媒

I'm writing this entry from the Gold Coast in Australia!!

I have been out here since January when I began my two year journey that is designed to turn me into an international swimmer. Everything here is going well and I am loving the environment that I have been placed in.

At first it was a struggle to live without my family and friends around me, and just breaking the general routine I'd been used to for a number of years.

Back in Britain

I have returned to England once since then, to compete in the 2008 Olympic Trials which were held in Sheffield.

This was an amazing experience for me because I swam against people who were actually battling it out for places on the Olympic Team! Having just turned 17, I was not expecting to be anywhere near fast enough to make the team.

To qualify it was necessary to swim faster than a qualifying time in the heat, and then the following day, finish in the top two in the final. The tough selection policy caught many swimmers out.

I swam better than I had ever expected and my times were fast enough to book me a place on the European Junior team for the championships that are to be held in Belgrade in July.

I qualified for the 200 and 400 IM and the 200 fly (my three main events). I also came fifth at the Trials in the 200 and 400 IM and seventh in the 200 fly, where the top two swimmers go to the Olympics, so this was a great achievement for me.

To be top 5 in two events in the whole of Britain (for all ages) is something that I am very proud of.

Another achievement worth mentioning is that I have swum in a race that produced a WORLD RECORD!! I could hardly believe it but that was the level of competition I was up against.

"As every day passes I am enjoying myself more"

Then after the trials I got to spend almost two weeks at home with my family and friends which was lovely and it felt like I had never been gone.

Training Hard

Then on the 17, April, I left once again for Australia, saying goodbye to my loved ones and I've been out here since, training very hard.

For the last five weeks I have averaged 21 hours in the pool per week, swimming around 66 km! We also do 2-3 hours in the gym, which added on to swimming is a lot to handle.

I'm also at the Southport School studying Maths, English, RE (compulsory subjects), plus Geography, Physics and Biology which is another thing to juggle. Although it's hard to balance my time between swimming and school, there is no better environment for me to train in than here.

I am next back in the UK in early July when we will prepare for the European Junior Championships that are held at the end of that month.