Bournemouth swimmer Alice Tai insists she heads to next month’s IPC Swimming World Championships aiming to prove last year’s European successes were no fluke.
Despite being just 15, Tai shone on her major international debut last year as she left the 2014 European Championships with 400m freestyle bronze, 100m backstroke silver and 4x100m freestyle relay gold to show for her efforts.
Tai admits that these trips to the podium surprised even herself, but now a year older the Bournemouth Collegiate School pupil has a chance to build on this as the best in the world gather in Glasgow between July 13-19.
And for Tai, the meeting north of the border provides her with the perfect opportunity to show that her European exploits can be the rule rather than the exception.
“I was quite lucky to get on that team for the Europeans so I certainly wasn’t expecting to do as well as I did and the whole thing was great,” she said.
“And again I was a bit surprised to be named in the team for the worlds this year because the qualifying times are so much harder.
“So just to make the team gives me confidence heading to the worlds and it will be good to use my experience of the Europeans as I will have raced against some of the people who will be in Glasgow.
“I want to go there and learn more because I know that I still have a lot more to give and I want to get personal bests in all the races I do in Glasgow.
“I think I can go faster than the Europeans and if I medal then great but for me it is all about learning as much as I can.”
It is no surprise that Tai is not focusing on medals just yet, with next month’s global gathering an important precursor ahead of next year’s Rio Paralympics.
And the teenager is adamant thoughts of Brazil are never far away from her mind.
“Rio is definitely a target of mine and it is my main aim and my main focus,” she added. “I don’t think anyone recognised me or knew what I could do until the Europeans and I want to carry that on at the worlds.
“I want to show people at the worlds that I am improving all the time and that I will be one to watch then Rio comes along.”
To support the British Para-Swimming Team at the IPC Swimming World Championships in Glasgow get your tickets at www.ticketmaster.co.uk/glasgow2015