Tom wants to make a splash in Samoa
Young swimming ace Tom Derbyshire is relishing the chance to compete in the upcoming Youth Commonwealth Games.
The Stafford Apex swimmer is in a 12-strong England team for the event in September.
He returned from Azerbaijan last month having competed in the European Games and is now gearing up for a summer of training.
Derbyshire, 17, who trains at the Royal Wolverhampton Swimming Club, said: "I am really looking forward to it, it will be a great experience in another place in the world.
"I always aim high and I hope to get a medal. I'm not really sure what the competition will be like but I know it will be a high standard."
Tom, from Stafford, will jet off on the long distance flight across the world to the Pacific island of Samoa – where the games will take place from September 5 to 11.
He will be competing in the 400m and 1500m events – the latter being his strongest race.
The talented swimmer broke the British and English age group records in the 1500m during qualifying during the British Championships in London – with his time of 15 minutes and 22 seconds.
He also achieved his best finish of the European Games in the 1500m freestyle, where he was sixth in the final. He also contested the 400m freestyle.
Derbyshire said: "Baku was my first big international competition. It was a surreal experience, with there being so many senior athletes and being in the athletes' village.
"You can't get any higher than that really, it's the next big event to the Olympics. I got a wealth of experience out of the competition.
"I was ill over there and I fell ill a month before which meant I missed a bit of training. I came sixth in the 1500m freestyle which, considering the circumstances, is good."
Coach and Olympian Marc Spackman, who trains Derbyshire at the Royal Wolverhampton Swimming Club, hailed the teenager's 'outstanding talent.'
He said: "I have been coaching Tom for 12 months and he has gone from strength to strength. He has an outstanding talent which, coupled with hard work, is beginning to achieve his undoubted potential.
"I was very excited to see Tom compete in Baku, this was his first international representation which makes it even more special.
"Tom has also been selected to represent England in the Commonwealth Youth Games in September, which involves a training camp in New Zealand and competition in Samoa."
Derbyshire will compete alongside 1,000 young athletes aged 14-18 in the fifth Youth Commonwealth Games, with 107 gold medals available across nine sports.
