Rebecca Adlington

I haven't really thought about what it will be like to compete at the London Olympics, I am just concentrating on experiencing what I am doing now and enjoying the process of building up to it. The Commonwealth Games are a big part of that so I have had a great couple of weeks; to win medals in all four races has given me a lot more confidence. It was what I needed. It was a positive step and I'm so happy to come away with those results. We knew going into it that there would be [Delhi] belly issues but I wasn't going to let anything get in the way once the main competition started. We have got the world championships coming up next year so it would be nice for me to go there [Shanghai] and do well for once. I know there will be pressure to perform in London, but I think anything like that will be overridden by the excitement of competing and the atmosphere. Hearing people cheering your name makes it more exciting and gives me a buzz. That will take me away from feeling pressure, no matter what. Having support like that is so important. When I'm on the starting blocks before a big race I always look for my family and support team, they are usually easy to spot. Then I just try to keep concentrating, keep relaxed and enjoy the experience. When I step on to the podium I feel relief more than anything. I feel confident at the moment. I am comfortable with where I am. Biography Born 17 February 1989, Mansfield Educated Brunts School, Mansfield Learned to swim Sherwood Colliery Swimming Club Club Nova Centurian Favourite film Dirty Dancing Favourite food Mum's Sunday roast Outside swimming Away from the pool, I love shopping, meals and walking the dogs. I'm absolutely addicted to Twitter . I'm friends with all the other swimmers so it's good to chat to each other on there and just be nosy Training At the moment I am doing 10 sessions a week, so 6am to 8am and 5pm to 7pm. I get Sundays off and have gym work to do in between that. That does not really change in the run-up to a major championships like the Olympics, the only thing that will change is the work we do within those sessions. We will keep it interesting and try different stuff It won't be any more intense, just the quality of what we are doing will improve. Key statistics Major honours Olympic champion in 400m and 800m freestyle – Beijing 2008, Commonwealth champion in 400m and 800m freestyle – Delhi 2010, European champion 400m freestyle 2010, short course world champion 800m freestyle 2008, Laureus world breakthrough of the year award winner 2009, European swimmer of the year 2008 Personal best 8min 14.1sec, world-record for women's 800m freestyle set at Beijing Olympics in 2008 World rankings 800m 1 Rebecca Adlington (GB) 2 Kate Ziegler (US) 3 Katie Goldman (Aus) 4 Lotte Friis (Den) 5 Ophélie-Cyrielle Etienne (Fr) Olympic countdown 25 November 2010 European short-course championships, Eindhoven 15 December 2010 World short-course swimming championships, Dubai 5 March 2011 British championships, Manchester 16 July 2011 World championships, Shanghai 8 December 2011 European short-course championships, venue to be confirmed 3 March 2012 British championships – will also double as Olympic trials July 2012 Members of Great Britain swimming team gather for their pre-Olympics training camp in Edinburgh In numbers 6 Swimming medals won by Great Britain at the 2008 Olympic Games. Adlington won both Britain's golds 37 Swimmers who represented the Great Britain team at the Beijing Games in 2008 460 Price, in pounds, of the pair of shoes that the mayor of Mansfield gave Adlington following her success Venue The Aquatics Centre boasts a 160m-long, wave-like roof and will seat around 17,500 spectators