JAZZ Carlin hopes to secure her ticket on the plane to Rio at the British Championships this week and started in perfect fashion as she claimed gold in the 200m freestyle on Tuesday evening.

The 25-year-old Swindon competitor, who now lies in Bradford on Avon, secured a season’s best time of one minute 57.62 seconds in a hotly contested race to help ease any nerves she had going into the week-long competition in Glasgow.

The University of Bath-based swimmer had to claw her way back into the race after falling behind in the opening 50 metres but was 0.33 seconds ahead at the second turn.

Carlin maintained that lead in the third leg of the race before touching home ahead of Eleanor Faulkner (City of Sheffield) in second place and Georgia Coates (City of Leeds) in third.

“This week is always a bag of nerves, it’s the Olympic trials,” said Carlin.

“I would love to qualify for my first Olympics so it is a really exciting week but it is also a lot of pressure and nerves.

“I have got a lot of experience but I still get nervous, I still get anxious before I race.

“To come away with a win tonight is a great start to the week and I want to carry that on for the rest of the week.”

Carlin, who described the 200m freestyle as her ‘fun one’, finished outside the Olympic qualifying mark of one minute 55.88 seconds set by British Swimming but taking the win in her first event was all that mattered.

“Especially the 200, it is a tough event,” she added. “There are a lot of girls that are very close and I knew it would be a tough battle out there and you always want to be at your best.

“Hopefully we can do a good relay this year. It is always nice to come away with a decent time and it is about working on that for the rest of the week.”

Carlin booked her place in tonight’s final of the 800m freestyle with a time of eight minutes 36.92 seconds yesterday morning and is keen to ensure she is in the squad for the Olympics, which will be announced next week.

“For me I am taking one step at a time. I want to be on that team for Rio, I want to be on that plane,” Carlin said.

“I have always got dreams and I have always got hopes and I am just going to be training as hard as I can. Hopefully this week I can be on the plane to Rio.”

Carlin goes again in the women’s 800m freestyle final tonight, having comfortably qualified fastest from yesterday’s heats.