ALL Olympians have days where their motivation wavers. It might be tiredness kicking in, a niggling injury that won’t quite disappear or the challenge of dealing with results that aren’t quite as good as expected, but in the four-year cycle between Games, there are bound to be moments where inspiration is required.

When Aimee Willmott gets one of those moments, she takes an extra minute or two to complete her walk to work. Down the newly refurbished main street at Stratford, around the corner that swings past the tube station and then there it is, resplendent in front of her.

The London Aquatic Centre might be a remnant of a previous Olympics, but for Willmott, and the rest of British Swimming’s high-performance group based in East London, it is also a daily reminder of why those early-morning training sessions and late-night gym workouts are worth it.

In less than six months’ time, the Rio Olympics will be underway, and having experienced the magic of competing in London, Willmott is determined to ensure she gives everything in order to sample another Olympic venue in Brazil.

“I know how lucky I am to be based here,” said Willmott, who left her native Middlesbrough in 2014 to relocate to the capital. “Every now and then, you’ll get one of those days when you’re feeling rubbish or when you have to pretty much drag yourself out of bed to get to training.

“But then you’ll see the Olympic pool and all the excitement and adrenaline will come rushing back. It’s not like you think about 2012 every day, but every so often, something will happen – maybe the sight of something in the changing room or a shout when you’re walking towards the pool – and it will all come rushing back.

“I think anyone who competed at London will say it was one of the best moments of their lives, and it’s funny to think we’re just about ready for another Olympics to come round again. When you think about London, it definitely inspires you to keep pushing for Rio.”

Willmott made the semi-finals of the 400m Individual Medley in London, narrowly missing out on a place in the final when she finished 11th overall.

Since then, she has won two silver medals and a bronze at the 2014 Commonwealth Games and made her first world final, finishing seventh in the 400IM at last year’s World Championships in Russia.

She impressed at the British Short-Course Championships in December, and proved her current well-being when she claimed three medals at an early-season meet in Amiens at the start of this month.

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All roads lead to Glasgow, and the British Championships between April 12-17 that double up as the British squad’s Olympic trials. Impress there, and Rio beckons.

“The trials are really the be all and end all in an Olympic year,” said Willmott. “The last 18 months have been building up to this, and everything you do this season is built around being in peak condition for the trials.

“I was a bit disappointed with my time at the Worlds, so I needed to prove to myself that was just a blip and that I could get to where I need to be for Rio. I think I’ve done that.

“I was happy with the British Short-Course, and I had a good swim in Belgium at the end of last month. I did 4:34 for the 400mIM, which is just off my personal best, so if I’m doing that at this stage of the season, I must be in good shape.

“It was good to head over to France and get some more competition there, and I’ll probably have another two or three competitions before the trials. It’s a balance between making sure you’re ready, and not doing too much before in case you lose your peak condition.”

Willmott should make the Olympic team in the 400IM, along with her long-time domestic rival Hannah Miley, and could also feature in the 200IM or 200m butterfly if her performances over the last couple of seasons are anything to go by.

She was only 19 when she competed in London, and simply qualifying for her Olympic debut, and emulating her father, Stuart, who represented Britain in the 400IM at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, was more than enough.

This time around, and as she prepares to turn 23 at the end of this month, she is setting her sights higher. Qualifying for Rio is the first target, but making more of an impact at the Games themselves is also a key ambition.

“It’s so competitive right through the squad that you can’t really look any further than the trials and securing your place,” said Willmott, who continues to combine her swimming career with studying for a degree in sport and exercise science at the University of East London. “But I’m not a wide-eyed kid anymore and I’m at the stage of my career where I want to be kicking on.

“If I swim well (at the trials), I know I should qualify. Then, if I do get over that first hurdle, I don’t want to be going to Rio just as a team member, or to make the numbers up.

“I want to be going with genuine hopes of making a final and being as competitive as I can. I always thought these would be the Games where I would really be at my peak – let’s hope it turns out that way.”