Seventeen-year-old swimmer Tom Fannon will try to make a name for himself when he hits the pool at the inaugural European Games in Baku, Azerbaijan this summer.
The Plymouth Leander member has been swimming for around five years, and he has the chance to medal for Great Britain following recent impressive results.
Last year, the teenager broke the British age group record in the 50m freestyle and turned heads by winning silver in the same event at the British Championships in April.
Just a matter of weeks before Fannon jets out to Baku, the young prospect has told Sports Mole that he is excited to get his campaign going in the Games, but admits that nerves linger.
"I'm over the moon [to be part of it] - it's amazing," said Fannon. "I was speechless [when I found out I was selected]. It's a once in a lifetime opportunity. I didn't think it was real when I got told first. It's just amazing.
"It's very nerve-racking, but I do well with pressure, so I like all the pressure that's put on it - hype up the competition in the main. It is daunting in a way, but you sort of get used to it. I feel like I can raise my game a little bit and perform, if I can. Realistically, I'm trying to medal. I'm trying to do that if I can - make my country proud."
Fannon showed his progress at the British Championships in London last month by finishing half a second behind his Plymouth clubmate Ben Proud, who shot into the spotlight after winning double gold in his Commonwealth Games debut last year.
Since then, Fannon has been pushing himself in training and he regularly turns to Proud for advice so that he can one day be part of the elite group of British talent.
"We've been working on dives, finishes - they're my main weaknesses," Fannon said. "Me and my coaches down at Plymouth, we've been figuring out what's best for my strokes so it's all going well.
"Every day I'll go to Ben with questions - asking different ways of training and asking for advice on eating and how I should be training. To me, he's my role model, especially training with him and watching him train.
"To be honest, [I want to push into the elite group] as soon as possible. I'll see if I can do it next year, but just as soon as possible. I want to put my name out there and I want to go as far as I can in swimming. I'm trying."
Down in Plymouth, the teenager has had guidance from world-renowned coach Jon Rudd, who personally picked Fannon to join the Swimming Club.
The young sportsman is full of gratitude towards Rudd for guiding him in the early stages of his career, but he admits that it's been tough to get accustomed to the hectic training schedule.
"It's been amazing [working with Rudd] - he's one of the best coaches ever," Fannon said. "He's done so much for me so far and knowing that I've got loads more years ahead, it's eye opening. He spotted me and told me to join. From there, he's helped me and guided me through.
"[The training schedule is] hard. It's hard waking up early mornings - sometimes getting up at 5am and doing two-and-a-half hours in the pool is very difficult, but your body starts to cope. You'll never really cope with the early mornings, but you get used to it and because it's my dream, it makes it easier to do it."
While Fannon is still in the early phases of his career, the youngster is hopeful of one day becoming one of the world's best. However, he is refusing to get ahead of himself.
"I'm quite optimistic in my goals, so one day [I want] to become a world-record holder, but at the moment I'm taking it meet by meet - trying to improve what I can, just do it that way," Fannon added.
Great Britain are taking a 24-strong team to Baku.
Danielle Joynson
