REJUVENATED JACKSON READY TO FACE MELBOURNE TEST
Britain's Jo Jackson will face arguably the greatest female
swimmer in the world today at this month's World Championships
when she lines up against Laure Manaudou of France in the
400m Freestyle but Jackson has her own goals that she believes
could put her in the medals.
The Derwentside swimmer has already shown her best form this
year, with a new British and Commonwealth Record in the Women's
800m Freestyle, short course, and is now looking to convert
it into the 50m pool at the Rod Laver Stadium in Melbourne.
Jackson (20) has made major strides in her preparation to
increase her fitness levels while improving her stroke and
feels the time is right to bring it all together at the World
Championships.
"I'm really looking forward to racing. Training's been
going very well and I'm going into the World Championships
better than I've ever felt before," said Jackson.
"Realistically you have to say that Laure Manaudou is
going to be out there on her own in the 400m Freestyle. She's
that good a talent and so far ahead of the world at the moment.
But I've come here with high expectations of myself in regard
to the time I want to achieve rather than placings.
"I have a goal and it's realistic given my good preparation.
If all goes well that time could well put me into the medals.
It's going to be tougher than ever because of the quality
of the field but I've given myself a chance with the work
I've been doing."
Jackson's main aim is the Olympics next year in Beijing but
from the British Swimming preparation camp on the Gold Coast
in Australia she is focusing on ensuring her hard work delivers
the kind of performance she expects.
A lot of Jackson's background work leading into the World
Championships has been about improving her stroke and she
has derived confidence from that.
"My coach, Dave McNulty, and I have put a lot of work
into my technique over the past few months. I find I'm not
rushing my stroke as much anymore and my swimming has really
benefited from that. It's taken a lot of hard work but I aim
to prove it's been worth it," said Jackson.
"We've also put a great deal of time into fitness and
I feel stronger and have a bigger aerobic background than
I've had before. It's really helped with my confidence as
well as my ability in the water.
"My preparations have been the best I've ever experienced
and I can't wait to get involved now. The record I achieved
swimming short course last month gave me a huge boost and
I want to convert that to long course."
Jackson's work this season hasn't just been about the World
Championships. The Beijing Olympics, just 18months away, is
the main prize and much of her training has been geared towards
that.
"In Melbourne I'll be focusing on the 400m Freestyle
and will hopefully play a part in the 4x200m relay,"
said Jackson.
"However, the 800m Freestyle is an event I'm looking
to step up to for the Olympics and much of the work of done
since last summer has been aimed at that event.
"This different training has helped my 400m Freestyle
immensely. It's given me a lot of power and stamina at the
back end of my race, and has also helped me with my race pace.
I'm excited about seeing how this will go in two weeks' time."
Much of Jackson's preparation has been spent away from Britain
during the autumn and this is a foundation she expects to
serve her well throughout this season before building on it
again for the 2008 Olympcs.
"I spent a lot of time training away from the UK in
October and November and I'm feeling its benefits now. I trained
in Canberra and also here on the Gold Coast," said Jackson.
"Over Christmas I fell ill with the flu and was forced
to leave the water for a week but maybe the break gave me
a well-earned rest. I certainly don't feel it ruined my preparations."
Jackson is also looking forward to teaming up with Britain's
Freestyle women in the 4x200m relay and would like to emulate
the achievements of her sister Nicola who was prolific in
her own right at a former World Championships.
"I'm really excited about the relay," explained
Jackson. "We'll be looking to change the run of fourth
places we seem to have put together. It would be fantastic
to go that bit further to ensure we're in the medals. We know
we have the talent to do that.
"The team is really up for it and we want to do the
best we possibly can. It would be nice to achieve what my
sister Nicola did in 2001 when she won a gold as part of the
4x200m Freestyle relay but there's some serious competition
we're facing, especially from the Australians."
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