KIDDERMINSTER swimmer Amy Smith has set her sights on next year’s Commonwealth Games as she bids to transform herself from student to world-class swimmer over the next 12 months.

The 22-year-old shot to prominence this summer, making her World Championship debut in Rome and guiding the 4x100-metre freestyle relay team to seventh in a new British record of three minutes 36.99 seconds.

Smith’s achievements were all the more impressive as she combined travelling to the Eternal City with her final year studying a degree in sport and exercise science at Loughborough University.

The Wyre Forest Swimming Club flyer, who also claimed 50m freestyle bronze at the British Championships in March, has since graduated and is less than two months into her maiden professional season.

Smith admitted her world relay efforts in Italy have made her more determined to grab an individual berth at the Commonwealths in Delhi next October.

“I have been back in training for about six weeks now and, while it has been really tough, it is all geared towards getting to Delhi,” said Smith, who grabbed 4x100m medley relay silver on her Commonwealth debut four years ago in Melbourne.

“It would be great to compete individually — to get to the semi-finals would be good but it would be better to make the final and get high up on the rankings.

“Last year, it was quite tough to juggle the disciplines of studying, swimming and training building up to the World Champs but it was a case of being organised.

“I managed to get a lot of exams out of the way but it was hard with all of the coursework we had to finish.

“I did it though and I believe I made some positive steps forward in Rome.”

Smith will take time out of her Commonwealth preparations over the coming months in a bid to board the plane to Turkey for the European Short Course Championships in December.

The Worcestershire star admitted she was shocked by her World Championship selection in July but vowed to ensure that isn’t the case with the London 2012 Olympics.

“The 50m and 100m freestyle event are my strongest ones and they are the disciplines that I will be working hard to improve in personally this year,” she added.

“Going to the worlds last season was unexpected but really good and I hope that isn’t my last.

“I’m not sure what is going to happen with the relay team next because swimmers’ times can change from one year to the next.

“A lot can happen between now and 2012 so it’s difficult to tell at the moment. I just need to focus individually.”

n Lloyds TSB, proud partner of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games and supporter of Team GB on their journey to London 2012. LloydsTSB. com/London2012.