Jessica’s journey to pool pinnacle

TIME OUT: Jessica relaxes after a training session.

OLYMPICS:

SADDLEWORTH swimmer Jessica Lloyd is about to become an Olympian — three years after quitting the sport.

The 17-year-old is the youngest of the Great Britain squad to have qualified for London 2012 and these days she could not be happier.

But had a sudden loss of interest in 2009 become her permanent outlook on swimming, life could have been very different.

“My coach at Oldham Aquatics, John Roe, left to take a job overseas and I was starting to enjoy socialising regularly with my friends,” said Lloyd.

“I just lost all enthusiasm for swimming and everything it entailed, the training and travelling especially.

“I wanted to just go out and have fun, so I quit the sport for five months.

“As it happens, it was probably one of the best decisions I ever made in a roundabout way, because it made me realise what I was missing.

There will be a nice piece of symmetry at the Olympics, when Jess’s grandmother Hazel will be present to cheer on the girl she used to take to swimming lesons as a youngster.

Lloyd added: “I am so chuffed my grandma is coming to London, especially as she played such a big part in getting me on the right track.”






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