Hulme is already looking to future (From The Northern Echo)

Hulme is already looking to future

10:27am Monday 22nd February 2010 in

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IAN HULME admitted his priorities always lay on securing a Commonwealth Games place next month after failing to shine at the British Gas Great Britain v Germany swim meet in Swansea.

The 25-year-old finished second and fifth in the 100m and 50m butterfly respectively as Britain swept aside Germany to record a convincing 207-109 victory at the weekend.

The Easington Village swimmer travelled to South Wales with the chance to prove himself on the international stage after a disappointing World Championships in Rome last year, where he failed to make it out of the heats.

But despite claiming five points for the triumphant British team, Hulme admits the serious business begins at next month’s British Championships and Commonwealth trials in Sheffield.

He said: “I’m not very happy with how things went out there for me.

“I felt very tired and heavy.

Sometimes these things just don’t work out how you want them to.

“I’m in very heavy training at the moment and really building towards the Commonwealth trials in Sheffield at the end of next month.

“That is where I need to be at my best and I will taper my training to make sure I’m really fresh for that one.”

Jo Jackson’s weekend in Wales was handicapped by a mammoth training session in the build-up to the event.

And after finishing second behind 19-year-old Jazz Carlin in a British one-two-three in the 400m freestyle, Jackson admits the next generation are already snapping at her heels.

“I was pleased with how I swam and that was a really strong performance for me,”

she said.

“The weekend’s racing came in a week when I had already swum 60,000 metres, so I was pretty tired and couldn’t expect too much.

“Jazz is a great swimmer and it is not a surprise to me that she came through to win.”

The Sheffield meet could make or break Stockton swimmer Jess Dickons’ career after she threatened to walk away from the sport unless she claimed a place on the plane to the Commonwealth Games.

The 19-year-old has struggled to find the form that propelled her to world short course bronze in 2008 and admits next month’s Delhi Games trials in Sheffield will decide her future.

“This is a big year for me this year because making the team for the Commonwealths I think is the difference between me carrying on swimming full time or stopping and going to university,” she said.

“It is very expensive to swim and so I think if I didn’t make the team for the Commonwealth Games then I might go to university.”

Aimee Willmott enhanced her reputation as the next Rebecca Adlington by finishing hot on the heels of the double Olympic champion.

The 16-year-old stormed to victory in the 400m medley in 4:44.45mins before chasing Adlington all the way home in the 800m freestyle in 9:46.78mins.

“I’m really pleased with how I performed and I did pretty much what I came here to do,” she said.

“I felt that the things I had been working on in training went well and there were some very encouraging signs.”

■ The nation’s leading energy supplier British Gas is the Principal Partner of British Swimming, and have pledged £15m to support the sport at all levels, from paddling pool to podium.

For more information visit www.britishgas.co.uk/swimming