Michael Jamieson admits he has medals on his mind as he prepares to lead Great Britain into action at this week’s European short course Championships in Denmark.
The 25-year-old has endured a difficult 2013 with an injured bicep hampering him as he looked to build on the 200m breaststroke silver he won at the London Olympics.
But the trip to Denmark gives him the chance to end his year on a high, something Jamieson insists he is hellbent on doing with his sights set on re-writing the record books in the process.
“I’m looking forward to racing in Denmark,” said Jamieson. “I want to be challenging for major medals at every international and this one is no different.
“I’ve had a busy short course season and it will be interesting to see the effect a busier racing schedule has on my performance.
“I expect Olympic Champion Daniel Gyurta (Hungary) to be at the front again as he’s been so dominant in the 200m event over the past few years.
“It will definitely take a British Record and a big best time for me to challenge for that top spot but that’s what all of the hard work in training is aimed at.”
Jamieson will be joined by 11 other British swimmers over four days at the Jyske Bank Boxen arena in the Danish city of Herning.
Fran Halsall, who won 50m freestyle bronze at the 2013 World Championships, will also be eyeing up a spot on the podium and is joined be fellow female London Olympians Sophie Allen, Jemma Lowe, Siobhan-Marie O’Connor and Aimee Willmott – with Jazmin Carlin also making the trip.
Joining Jamieson in the men’s events are Craig McNally, Adam Peaty, Chris Waler-Hebborn and Andrew Willis with British head coach Bill Furniss looking for the team to continue their good short course season.
“Quite a few of the athletes will compete in Denmark off the back of a busy FINA World Cup series,” said Furniss.
“They’ve been some good performances so far this season and I’ll be looking for this to continue through the Europeans before ending at the Duel in the Pool in Glasgow later this month.
“These short course events give our athletes great opportunities to work on their race preparation and technique while they continue to train in preparation for the busy year ahead where focus will fall on the Commonwealth Games.
“I’ll be looking to see how athletes approach each event and how they make necessary adjustments to their performances in line with their progression from heats to finals.”
© Sportsbeat 2013