How does it feel to be at your first international meet?

“Being at my first international meet is really exciting! It’s the next step for me as an athlete, and it’s come at a great time in the season where the outcome goals are stemmed away from a performance basis, but rather on gaining that experience”

“It’s a experience that really can’t be put into words, but something that could be close to describing it is that it’s been unbelievable. Putting on GB kit for the first time, walking out representing my country, is something that has been close to my heart for as long as I can remember”

How does it feel to know you’re representing your country?

“It fills me with absolute pride and emotion that it’s my countries flag that’s on the side of my hat, and I can’t be more grateful that all the hard work and dedication I’ve put in- not just in training but my entire lifestyle- is paying off and I’ve got this incredible experience for the first time; and hopefully many more to follow in my career”

How does having this support make you feel when it comes to your performance?

“It gives me great confidence, knowing that I’ve got one of the best support groups going in not just the country, but the world. Being on one of the countries leading scholarship programmes at The University of Birmingham goes a long way, and when you pair this with the knowledge of British swimming at Loughborough University from Mel Marshall; it’s something I can only back with full trust and confidence”

What would be your advice to your younger self?

“Stay committed and be consistent. Talent will get you so far, but talent alongside hard work and dedication is what will truly get you to the top of your sport. Things that I’ve definitely learnt over time is that patience is key, sometimes things don’t go your way, you miss out on opportunities, but if you keep at it, put your heart into what you do, then there’s always more opportunities to come your way along the road”

“Something that was really challenging for me was never really having that junior background in things like nationals and junior internationals. My first summer nationals was at the age of 16, and my first British Champs was when I was 18, so the pressure at these meets for me was really intense, it was always something I tried to put to the side, but the nerves of competing on this new scale, came the hunger to show people what I can do.”

“It’s not in the hoping that you will succeed, but in the knowing that you’ve prepared in the best way you can, with any setbacks you’ve had, as these are all part of the journey, To get there on a race day, put on your suit, goggles and hat, and perform to the best of my ability. If you give it your 110% and it doesn’t quite go your way, you learn from it, you re-evaluate, and you overcome that problem. In my eyes there’s no such thing as failure, but only learning, if there’s no challenge then there’s no opportunity to learn.”