JAZZ Carlin is ready to make her first step on her Olympic journey at the European Championships this week as she goes in the heats of the 800m freestyle today.

The 25-year-old, from Swindon, who secured her place in the Great Britain team for Rio last month, is deep into training for her first Olympic Games.

However, that won’t prevent the Bradford on Avon-based competitor from giving it her all this week at the Aquatics Centre in London, where she hopes to defend her golds in the 400m and 800m from Berlin two years ago.

“The European Aquatics Championships is going to be incredible and the home support is going to really lift the swimmers,” she said.

“When you race the best in Europe there is always tough competition and you are racing against some of the world’s best.

“It is going to be great because it is only a couple of months out from Rio and everyone is going to want to race fast ahead of Rio and see where they are at in the season.

“It is going to be great for all of the British swimmers and they will all enjoy the home support, which will hopefully push them on to really great things.

“When you race the best in Europe you always want to come out on top and swim well so it is an exciting time heading into the Olympics.”

Carlin in one of a squad of 26 British swimmers heading to Rio in three months’ time and believes that this week will be a good gauge of just what they can achieve in South America.

“We’ve got the full Olympic squad here and also the junior development team who are targeting Tokyo (2020), we’ve got a real balance in the team and I think the Olympic squad is going to be great. It’s a first step in our Olympic journey,” she added.

“It has been a tough old journey with plenty of highs and lows but when you come out of the other side and are on the Olympic team it is an amazing feeling. The Olympics only come around every four years and you want to be at your best going into them.

“I am not going into the Olympic Games just to be there and to have fun. I want to use all of those hours of training and put all of that hard work into practice.

“It is my first Olympics, which is a bit unusual for a 25-year-old, but I am going to go out there, do everything I can and see how I get on.”

Matthew Edwards reports from Carlin's races at the European Championships later this week at swindonadvertiser.co.uk/sport and the Swindon Advertiser