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Raise Your Game: You are a fantastic role model for young women in Wales and across the UK. How does that make you feel?

Jazz Carlin: It's definitely an honour to represent my home country once again in the Commonwealth Games. It is going to be a magical experience and to be considered as a role model is a reward in itself.

RYG: What makes you a champion?

JC: You've got to have that competiveness inside along with the drive and determination to win. I just want to be the best I can be so that I have no regrets when I'm older. I can say that I gave it the best shot that I could.

RYG: What's a typical week's training regime for you?

JC: I train 10 times over six days every week. I also have three gym sessions and four physio sessions so it's a very busy life, but I wouldn't do it unless I enjoyed it and unless I had all that support around me.

RYG: Do you tend to watch the clock or focus more on your opponents during a race?

JC: It depends what competition you are in. When you go to the big meets it's all about who touches in first. You've got to get into that race and into that frame of mind so that you're ready to race and you're ready to work hard and finish first.

RYG: As well as competing for Wales at the Commonwealth Games 2010 you have also started University. How do you balance your training between the two?

JC: I'm studying business accounting and finance which is something that I'm interested in. You have to have other things in your life apart from swimming to focus on. It's not going to be just swimming in my life. I'm still going to be racing and training as hard as I can because I want to make the London 2012 Olympics. It's about balancing both and seeing what I can do.

RYG: How does it feel to race against the likes of Jo Jackson and Rebecca Adlington?

JC: They're two of the best girls in the world and they're in the same events as me. It's always a tough race and going into it I know that I'm racing two of the best girls in the world. That can only give me confidence going into the bigger events because I've got the experience of racing against them.

Even though we all race each other, we come together for relays as well. You've got to respect one another and I think we all have the mutual understanding that we're out there to do our best and that we're all working hard. We all share the same goal and that can only be a good thing.

RYG: How do you keep focused on your goal of reaching the London 2012 Olympic games?

JC: Competing for Wales in the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne 2006 at the age of 16 was daunting for me. It was my first major senior competition and to go out there in front of such a huge crowd was terrifying at the time, but I've had so many senior internationals since then, I feel that this experience has given me the confidence to give it the best shot that I can.

The Welsh team are so close knit and it's a very good team to be a part of. I will be supporting everyone and I am sure that they'll do the same for me.