Fox targets London medal

Wolverhampton swimmer Chris Fox is setting his sights on London 2012 after missing out on qualifying for the Beijing Olympics by a fraction of a second.

But 18-year-old Chris, from Tettenhall Wood, isn’t worried by his summer Games miss because he believes he’ll be at his career best for London.

The 100m freestyle star, who swims for Wolverhampton Swimming Club, despite training in Australia, said: “ I missed out on the 4×100m relay squad by five one-hundredths of a second, but I wasn’t too worried. My aim is London 2012. The prime peaking age for sprint swimmers is between 22 and 24. I’ll be 22 for London, so I should be at my very best.”

The former Wolverhampton Grammar School pupil, who began swimming competitively at the age of 13, has trained in Australia for the last three years. He’s been based on the Gold Coast, 70km south of Brisbane, and graduated from high school there in November after the Australian equivalent of A levels.

“Life there is awesome,” said Chris, who is currently on holiday back home with his parents. “I can get out of bed and be in the training pool within a couple of minutes. “

He’s heading back there tomorrow for another three months training – and then it’s to the other side of the world for the next stage in his career.

Chris is due to start a chemical engineering degree at Auburn University in Alabama, USA, famous for producing the elite of sprint swimmers.