AIMEE WILLMOTT is targeting her first Olympic final next month, but the Teesside swimmer has already secured one notable achievement no matter what happens in Rio – taking over at the top of her family rankings.

Willmott made her Olympic debut when she competed in the 400m individual medley at London 2012, and her selection for the home Games saw her emulate her father, Stuart, who swam in the same event at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles.

Stuart only appeared at one Games though, so when Aimee competes in her medley heat on the opening day of next month’s swimming competition in Rio, she will eclipse her father’s achievements.

And while she has left her native Teesside to train at British Swimming’s high-performance base at the London Aquatic Centre, she has made sure her dad is in no doubt as to the importance of her second Olympic selection.

“He didn’t make it to two,” joked Willmott, who will be doubling up in Rio as she competes in both the 400m IM and 200m butterfly. “I’m going to be a double Olympian, and he’s just a single one – I keep reminding him of that!

“I’m pretty sure it doesn’t bother him. He’s always been a massive part of my career, and I know he’s as excited as I am about watching me compete in Rio. It didn’t look like my mum and dad were going to make it over to Brazil at first because they were struggling to get tickets, but they’ve managed to get some now so they’ll be there cheering me on.

The Northern Echo:

“That’s a massive thing for me because I wouldn’t be competing in the Olympics if it wasn’t for them. My dad’s always been my biggest fan, and he’s also great to be able to turn to because he knows a lot of what I’m going through as I get ready to compete at an Olympics. He’s been there and done it, and that really helps.”

Willmott narrowly missed out on a place in the 400m IM final at London, and her story became something of a template for the rest of the swimming squad, with a series of close misses resulting in a disappointing final haul of just three medals.

With the likes of Adam Peaty, James Guy, Siobhan-Marie O’Connor and Andrew Willis all having made giant strides since London, hopes are high that the British team will increase their medal haul significantly in Rio, and Willmott is hoping to set a positive tone on the opening day of competition.

Unlike at last year’s World Championships, where the 400m IM was not staged until the final day, Willmott’s preferred event will get the ball rolling next month, and with a series of afternoon heats set to be followed by a final which is scheduled for around midnight, the 23-year-old is determined to start on the front foot.

“The first day is always important for the whole of the squad, so hopefully I can help set the right tone,” said Willmott. “There’s a bit of pressure there with being one of the first members of the team in the pool, but I like that pressure.

“I much prefer to be swimming on the first day than sitting around for a week or so kicking my heels. It’ll be nice to get straight into the action, and then I regroup and turn my focus to the butterfly.

The Northern Echo:

“The timings are going to be a bit of a challenge – it’s definitely going to be strange swimming in the most important race of the year at 11pm or midnight – but we’ve tried to factor that into the training and I’m sure it’ll be fine.”

Willmott was just a teenager when she finished 11th in London, and having won two silver medals at the Commonwealth Games during the current Olympic cycle, the Middlesbrough ASC member feels much better equipped to handle things this time around.

“Four years ago, just qualifying for the Olympics was such a massive thing for me,” she said. “I hadn’t been swimming in senior events for that long, so to suddenly find myself in the Olympics was incredible. I did okay, but if I’m honest, the whole thing probably came a bit too soon for me.

“It feels very different this time around. I still had to work hard to qualify, but that wasn’t the be all and end all this time. I’ve been to an Olympics before, so I don’t want to be going to another one just to make the numbers up. I want to achieve something this time, and that means I’m going to Rio with the ambition of at least making the final.”

Willmott warmed up for the Olympics by finishing fourth in the 400m IM final at the recent European Championships, which were staged in London, but she warns against reading too much into what was a slightly disappointing display.

“I was little bit disappointed with the time and the way I swam, but I was nowhere near my peak in terms of where my training schedule was at and I learned a lot in terms of how I manage my races in Rio,” she said. “There were some good aspects to my racing, but also some things that I’ve been able to work on and hopefully put right.

“I know that if I swim to my capabilities in Rio, I’ll make the final. Then, if you do that, anything can happen. I’m at a stage of my career where I’m ready to really make a mark, and there’s nowhere better to do that than the Olympics.”

* Aimee Willmott wears the new Luma Nation collection from Australian swimwear brand Funkita – designed by swimmers for swimmers. Now available at mailsports.co.uk