Having come straight from Eindhoven to Poland finally arriving at the hotel was a relief. It was a long day of travelling and we were all exhausted but when we saw our hotel had a go-karting track we all immediately livened up.

I had been looking forward to race at this meet for weeks and weeks and it was finally here I wasn't going to let the opportunity pass. I have always raced well at this meet and finally wanted to make my mark properly last year I finished 5th in the 400freestyle a newly discovered short course event for me which I never usually compete in. after this race I was exhausted from swimming heats and finals both in new personal best times so unfortunately the 200bc had not gone well the next day in 2010. I was not going to let that happen this time my 200bc was on the last day and I knew if I kept focused I had a good shot of a medal but I was going to have to fight for it and I wanted to. 

I felt relaxed and confident on the first day of racing which for me was the 100bc I’ve never been known as a sprinter so for me there was no pressure. I swam the heats in a new Irish Senior Record time of 59.37 seconds it was a shock for me even as I never really train for sprinting. I always wanted to break the 1 minute mark before I finished swimming and to finally achieve it was great and things looked good for my 200bc. I got ready for the semi-final that evening and was shocked still at my time from the heats but I was in good spirits about swimming well so I was looking forward to it. I went in with nothing to lose and I came out with a new irish record again it was only a small personal best of 59.30 seconds but still a new record none the less. The meet had got off to a great start I was enjoying racing,chatting with friends from other countries who I don't get to see very often and getting lots of early nights in!

My next race was the 400freestyle I decided to enter it as it was the only other race I could get on my day off and I like racing before my main event so I get used to it. So I went in and had a go at it I didn’t do a personal best in the heats but it wasn’t far off I went 4.06.0 and that was the time I got seeded 3rd into the final last year however this year the meet was much stronger and I was only ranked 10th going into the final. With this result and wanting to focus on the 200bc the following day I decided to withdraw from the final that evening to concentrate on my main goal.

The next morning I was up early I had slept better than usual before a race so after a strong coffee I was ready to go. I was at the very end of the session and knew I wasn’t going to be on for a while I ended up not racing till 11.30am which is late considering the final warm-up starts again at 3pm so I wouldn’t get much time in-between. I was confident going into the heat and when I walked out one of the Russian's hadn’t swam as well as expected and she posted an average time. This spurred me on and only built on my confidence I finished in a strong time of 2.05.0 which was another new Irish record. Things where starting to go well the race felt comfortable and strong which was the main things I was looking for. I did my swim down and had a quick rub before getting a bus back to the hotel I arrived back at 1pm and went straight for lunch as I wanted to try and have a quick nap before the journey back to the pool.

When I got back to my room after lunch I tried to sleep but I just tossed and turned with anticipation before the race I just couldn’t switch off. I didn’t want the same thing to happen this year as what happened in the 400freestyle the previous one, I wasn’t going to let it. I finally decided to get up and get back to the pool I warmed up and it felt like my race took forever to come I tried to keep myself occupied by watching the other racing but it didn’t last long I did however make sure I watched my fellow Loughborough team mates Amy Smith and Joe Roebuck who both finished n 3rd place. I didn’t want them to be the only ones going home with a medal. I remember lining up for the event and telling myself that this was it, about to happen was what I had been waiting for. I wasn't overly nervous which I enjoyed I just wanted to get in and get going. I arrived behind my block and looked at the water I didn't look around apart from to wave to the Irish team then I went back to looking at the peaceful rippling effect of the water.

Take your marks, go were the next words to me and the race had started the girls all went out quickly in the first 50m I have a better back end speed so I kept it relaxed. The thing about short course is it goes so much quicker than long course because of all the turns and before I knew it I was turning for the 100m. I got my bearings and saw the girl next to me was quite close to me and I was going to have to move on if I wanted to clinche the bronze.

I put everything I had into that last 100m and ended up storming past her and comfortabley won the bronze medal in a new Irish record and massive personal best of 2.04.2 seconds. I looked up at the pad and sighed with relief what I had came here for had been achieved. When I was walking out I was in a daze and after congratulations from the rest of the team I was up waiting for the medal ceremony. It was an amazing feeling standing on the podium with the other girls and watching the Irish flag raise up. I was very proud to be the reason for it being there and it was a great way to finish the meet and season racing.

Let's just hope it continues now time for Christmas.