Middlesbrough swimmer Aimee Wilmott hopes medals at this weekend’s British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS) Nationals are the start of a journey that will reach its crescendo in Rio de Janeiro next year.
Wilmott took silver medals in the 200m butterfly and 400m medley home from last summer’s Commonwealth Games before making the decision to relocate to London.
For Wilmott 2014 was somewhat of a breakthrough year and not only saw her claim success in the Commonwealth Games but also take a silver in the 200m medley and a bronze in the 400m at the European Championships in Berlin.
The 21-year-old will now look for more success in Sheffield where she will represent the University of East London at the BUCS Nationals, starting tomorrow.
And she says the chance to train at London’s Aquatics Centre has added more fuel to her Olympic fire as she is driven on by the spirit of 2012.
“It’s kind of daft to want to train anywhere else. I came from such a small program and such a small pool and to have the opportunity to come here and train in the world’s best pool is an honour,” she said.
“I obviously want to compete in Rio in 2016 and every time I come here now I get goosebumps of what it felt like to swim in front of a home crowd and at such a major games.
“So it is kind of nice to know that every time I’m training and coming swimming I’m doing something that I enjoy in a place that has so many good memories with it.
“Since I moved in September the program has just got better and better so obviously four months on we are getting on really well and I’m enjoying being in London and training at the Olympic pool.”
Wilmott has previous at BUCS after competing there as a British Swimming guest, but says she is relishing the prospect of competing as part of a team this time around.
“In the build-up to BUCS training has been really tough and at the moment I’m training 10 times a week in the pool and about five or six hours in the gym,” she added.
“So before BUCS I’ll probably rest a tiny bit just to make sure I’m feeling a little bit fresh for that and hopefully come away with some medals for the team.
“BUCS is always a good meet to do and I always really look forward to it when I’ve taken part before as a British Swimming member.
“So this time to take part as a UEL member will be really good to be there as part of a team.”
British Universities & Colleges Sport (BUCS) is the national governing body for Higher Education (HE) sport in the UK, representing more than 150 institutions.
Covering 52 sports, BUCS aids grass roots participation through to supporting aspiring elite athletes on en route to Commonwealth or Olympic Games www.bucs.org.uk
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