SUCCESSIVE summers of hurt are the force driving Wiltshire ace Jaz Carlin towards medal glory at next year’s Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

The former Wootton Bassett School pupil has already been named as part of Wales’ aquatics team for next summer’s Games.

And after illness wrecked her hopes of appearing at the London 2012 Olympics and she returned empty-handed from this summer’s World Championships, a third successive Commonwealths appearance is at the forefront of the 23-year-old’s mind.

Carlin continues her winter preparations by representing Great Britain at the European Short Course Championships in Denmark, which started today, where she will swim the 200m, 400m and 800m freestyle.

But looking ahead to Glasgow, she said: “Being part of the Welsh team is really special to me – 2010 (in Delhi, where she won two medals) was really special in my career and I think of Glasgow as kind of a ‘home’ Games.

“It’s very important to me because of what happened with London 2012 at the Worlds and I’m really happy with how my training is going.

“I’m ahead of where I was this time last year and now I just need to get my head down and push on through these winter months.

Carlin became Wales’ first female swimmer to win two Commonwealth medals in one Games at Delhi in 2010 and her cause has been helped this time by a return to funding from British Swimming.

“It was tough being off funding,’’ she said.

“I had a lot of help from my family because I still love my sport and want to enjoy it but to get back on the funding is a big help.”

  • Follow Carlin’s progress in Denmark at gazetteandherald.co.uk/sport and in next week’s Gazette & Herald

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