Patten develops new passion for swimming

PLYMOUTH Olympic medallist Cassie Patten says she's fallen in love with swimming again.

The 22-year-old, who became an instant star when she won a bronze medal in the gruelling 10km open water final in Beijing in 2008, admits last year was not a good one for her.

But Patten, who has family in Plymouth, says she is enjoying swimming once more – and is looking forward to the qualifying rounds for this year's Commonwealth Games, due to be held in New Delhi.

The former Plymouth Leander swimming club stand-out, who moved to the powerful Stockport Metro club to enhance her career, was up as usual for her 5.30am training session yesterday – and admitted she was enjoying it.

She said: "I am very good at the moment and I've been training really hard. The other day, I tried to get out of my door at 5.30am as usual and found I couldn't because it was blocked by about a foot of snow.

"I waited for a while, then managed to get out and walk to the Aquatic Centre, which luckily isn't very far from where I live, so I could have a training session. I think, if it had been last year, I would have gone back to bed."

Patten admitted: "Last year, I had quite a bad year.

"It was quite hard to come back from the Olympics and pick things up again.

"My love for swimming has always been there, but last year wasn't so good and I wasn't enjoying it. This year, I've got the love back and I'm definitely really motivated."

Patten is training and competing in South Africa for six weeks before the qualifying rounds for the Commonwealth Games in Sheffield during March.

She will be competing in a mile race and a 10km event, then training during a four-week camp before returning to Stockport Metro.

Later in the year, she will be competing in the World 10km Championships in Canada.

The swimmer, who is equally adept at indoor pool or open water competitions, moved north more than a year ago to sharpen up her performance.

Previously, she had been at Plymouth College and swam for Plymouth Leander from the ages of 11 to 18.

Included in her growing CV is a bronze medal in the 400metres and silver in the 800m at the British Championships in 2006, a bronze and a silver at the championships the following year and a silver in the 800m freestyle in her third championships.

Patten's Olympic success was foreshadowed by an impressive silver in the 10km freestyle at the 2007 World Championship, where she was just three seconds behind gold medallist Larisa Ilchenko. As well as winning a bronze medal in the 2008 Olympics, she also reached the finals of the 800m.