Payne: Bring on Battle of Britain

Eurosport - Sun, 01 Nov 11:48:00 2009

Olympic silver medallist Keri-Anne Payne is licking her lips at the prospect of a Battle of Britain finale at next year's Commonwealth Games.

SWIMMING British swimming star Keri-Anne Payne - 0

Payne, who upgraded her Olympic 10km silver to world gold in Rome earlier this year, will switch back to the pool in a bid for Commonwealth glory in Delhi next October.

The 21-year-old former European short course 400m freestyle champion will also look to bolster her medal collection at next December's World Short Course Championships and August's European Championships.

But it's the prospect of locking horns with the likes of Great Britain team-mates Hannah Miley and Jazmin Carlin in October that has caught Payne's eye.

Miley will swim for Scotland while Carlin represents Wales.

"It would be amazing to go to the Commonwealths again and it's something I'm really looking forward to," said Payne, who failed to make her medley final in Rome.

"It's weird seeing all the Scottish and Welsh girls at the Commonwealth Games. There's a healthy rivalry of course and it's a good chance for a bit of banter.

"We all get on but it's great to have a bit of competition against them. There's no open water at the Commonwealth Games so it'll be nice to concentrate on the pool and hopefully we'll be competing for medals.

"The most important thing is that I'm enjoying what I'm doing because it's a long season ahead and I've got to keep my mind and body fresh."

Payne will hone her skills in the pool at the Europeans in Budapest before bidding to continue her open water medal rush at the 2011 World Championships in Shanghai.

And the double European junior silver medallist was quick to dismiss concerns over her action-packed schedule as she continues working towards the ultimate goal, Olympic gold in 2012.

"There's a lot of training to be done and a lot of tapering because the events are spread out across the year," added Payne.

"It's about finding the best way to recover so I can perform throughout the year both in the pool and open water but it's definitely possible to peak at different times.

"I've been trying out a few new sessions in training but it's nothing drastic and just a case of finding my feet and trying new things.

"There's a long way to go though so I'm just taking it one step at a time and I'm confident that I'll find the right balance."

More Than The Games / Eurosport

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