As she prepares for the forthcoming Swimming World Championships, Lauren Quigley believes her rivals will see a much different swimmer than the person who made her debut two years ago.
Back in 2013, an 18-year-old Quigley travelled to Barcelona for her first ever World Championships, competing in the backstroke events and 4x100m medley relay .
It was a competition which provided the European Junior silver medallist with plenty of valuable experience although it was only at last year’s Commonwealth Games in Glasgow where she took her first senior medals in the form of three silvers.
The latest challenge will be the 2015 World Championships in Kazan, Russia from August 2-9 and Quigley insists she is not just going to make up the numbers this time around.
“This is going to be my second World Championships which is pretty weird to say to be honest,” she said.
“I have definitely grown in the last two years and last year’s Commonwealth Games in particular was a big event for me.
“It was crazy being on the podium. I really wanted to get gold so it was a bit disappointing but it was a still a great experience and I feel like I have learnt a lot. I’m really excited about what I’ve got coming up.
“Two years ago in Barcelona I did not know what to expect. This year I want to step that up and progress in the races.”
Quigley and her Great Britain teammates will be looking to build on their promising performances at not only last year’s Commonwealth Games but also at the European Games where the team topped the medal table.
And with Rio quickly coming into focus on the horizon, she knows there has never been a better time to deliver the goods.
“We’ve got the Worlds and then qualification for Rio. It’s a busy year coming up,” she added.
“The team that has been picked for Russia is really strong. You’ve got people stepping up all over the team. Everyone gets on really well and that’s good to see.
“It’s very important to perform well, I want to be up there and I want people to be aware of me going into 2016.”