SWIMMER Stephanie Millward has admitted that it will be a strange feeling as she watches the IPC World Championships from home next week.

The 33-year-old would normally be finishing off her preparation for the event in Glasgow but, having come down with flu on the week of the trials, which took place at Tollcross International Swimming Centre, in March, she misses out this time.

“The week leading up to the trials I was absolutely flying,” explained Millward. “I was really quick and I was thinking everything was going to be perfect, with no problems, and then the day before the races I got flu, which is the worst thing to get.

“I wasn’t well at all and my times were really slow, and I thought I was going to get better and they were going to get faster but they didn’t.

“With the illness I have, MS, it holds onto the illness forever and takes even longer to get rid of, and I think that is what has delayed my recovery.”

At the 2013 worlds in Canada, Millward clinched five medals, but she will not be able to defend those titles and is instead looking ahead to the British Summer Championships, which start on Tuesday, July 28, in Sheffield.

The pressure will be firmly on the Corsham swimmer however as she looks for funding for next season to fulfil her dream of competing at the Olympics in Rio.

“Hopefully I will be really quick there to enable me to get qualification for next year,” she added.

“Funding comes from either the summer nationals or the World Championships in Glasgow, so hopefully I will be fast enough.

“If I don’t get funding for next year then my Rio plans are down the drain.

“Touch wood my preparation has been going well and I am feeling confident that I will be good enough, because what will I do if I am not?

“Not being at Glasgow gives me an extra couple of weeks, which is good, but it also meant that I have missed out on a couple of training camps, which is a negative side effect of not being very well.”

Ever the optimist, Millward is taking the positives out of not competing in Glasgow as she looks to gain an edge over her competition from the comfort of her own sofa.

“The good thing about this though is that I will be able to see the people race,” she added.

“I’ll see their technique, so that will be a one up for me when it comes to Rio, if I make it.”