YOUNG Evesham swimmer Cameron Brodie is all set for his biggest test yet as he prepares to compete at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, for which the opening ceremony was held on Wednesday evening.
The Scottish spectacle offers Brodie a great opportunity to pitch his skills against swimmers from throughout the Commonwealth.
Having been a member of the Scottish team four years ago, he gained great experience from competing in the Delhi Commonwealth Games of 2010 and his 11th place then in the 200m butterfly was a fair representation of his ability for a boy that was still at school.
Now at the age of 21 – and a student at Stirling University – he has come on a long way since his last Commonwealth experience and the Glasgow venue this time around offers him a great chance to make his mark in world swimming.
Brodie has been working hard since the summer break in 2013 and his efforts in the gruelling winter training sessions have been evidenced with impressive results in international competitions in both France and Belgium this year.
At this stage, everything was aimed at the British Championships in April and his third place – in a personal best time of 1 minute, 57.96 seconds – was less than a second behind the gold and silver medallists.
Naturally, the standard at the Glasgow Games is very high. In the 200m butterfly, many may remember one of Brodie’s rivals Chad le Clos from South Africa – or perhaps his enthusiastic father – as le Clos beat Michael Phelps in the London Olympics.
In addition, the Australian team will always have a strong representation in the swimming events, but Brodie knows he is in great form, with a great season of training behind him.
Ahead of setting off for Glasgow, Brodie said: “I will be watching the opening ceremony from the athletes’ village. It’s unfortunate, but there is a lot of standing around at the ceremony which is not good preparation for the swimming events which are at the start of the Games.
“My event is on Saturday, July 26, with the heats in the morning, and the finals in the evening. I can’t wait for this day to come along!”