Magical memories for Jessica-Jane

IT’S been seven years since Jessica-Jane Applegate stormed to S14 200m freestyle gold at the London Paralympic Games - and played her part in an unforgettable summer of sport.

Aged just 15 at the time, Jessica-Jane was part of a British team that included fellow gold medallists, Ellie Simmonds, Ollie Hynd, Josef Craig, Jonathan Fox and Heather Frederiksen.

It was an incredible experience for the youngster from Norfolk, who added to her Paralympic tally with three more medals in Rio four years later, and also has six world championship medals to her name.

The announcement, earlier this year, that the rearranged World Para Swimming Championships are heading to the London Aquatics Centre will no doubt have thrilled many members of the GB team who were part of the 2012 experience.

Here, Jessica-Jane looks ahead to September 9-15 when around 600 of the world’s top swimmers converge on the capital for the competition which doubles up as a qualifier for the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics…

How’s the 2019 season going? Are you happy with your progress so far? Surprisingly, training has been going better than I expected. I had to have some time off after becoming poorly again and ended up having to have a heart loop recorder fitted into my chest. I had a bit of time off to allow the scar to heal and struggled to get used to training using different movements for a while but now I’m settled back into it and my racing results are getting better again so I’m really happy.

Is this year all about being in peak form and condition for the World Championships? I would really like to do well at London at the World Championships in September - I like to do my best whenever I race! It’s a home games which we don’t get to experience much and my family don’t get to see me race often, so that’s exciting too. This year having our championships in September makes it a really long season, so if I don’t manage to get in peak condition it’s good practice as the Paralympics are held in September in 2020.

What are your targets for the World Champs? I am working on some process goals and I would be really happy to achieve one or two of those during the championships.

Will competing in London again bring back great memories from 2012? What’s your favourite memory? London 2012 was seven years ago now and all seems a bit of a dream. I was so young and really had no idea how important it was, it was just another race back then. When I look back now at the videos and photographs it was just amazing and so big, I have never been to anything that big since. My favourite memory was winning the 200m freestyle - the home crowd were just incredible!

It’s little more a year until Tokyo 2020 - is that an exciting prospect? What are your ambitions for next year? It’s really exciting and really scary looking forward to Tokyo 2020. I would love to make the team but the qualifying times will be harder than ever as the competition across the world gets faster every year so I’m sure I will have to improve my times to make the team. My ambitions for next year are to concentrate on training through to the trials, hopefully qualify and then I would love to medal in Tokyo.

Away from the pool, you’re a massive Norwich City Football Club supporter – you must have enjoyed last season with their Championship success? Last season was absolutely amazing! Unfortunately, I didn’t get to many games due to training but on Wednesday evenings I train in the pool next to the Carrow Road ground and the whole area was buzzing, it’s been such a great atmosphere! When the Canaries go up to the Premier League it makes such a difference to the local area, the investment from the big sponsors helps the whole area. Norwich City is a community club, it doesn’t have the financial backing like the big clubs in the Premier League but hopefully we can stay above relegation and stay in the top division - I have hope! •