Olympians intent on banishing 2012 agony in Leeds

The inaugural four-day British Gas International meet is a significant signpost on the road to Barcelona, with participants getting their first chance to put down a marker on their early-season form.

It is the first action in a long-course pool since London, when the British team fell well below expectations.

Hannah Miley, Fran Halsall and Beverley’s Lizzie Simmonds were all finalists in London, and they are in action this week, as is Olympic silver medallist Michael Jamieson.

One swimmer who will be particularly busy at a sold-out John Charles Aquatics Centre is City of Sheffield’s Ellie Faulkner, 20, who contests four freestyle disciplines.

“I’m going out there looking for personal-best times but it will be good to see what my early-season form is,” said Faulkner, who swims the 200m, 400m, 800m and 1,500m.

“The 800 is my main discipline with the 1,500 not normally an option. But it’s on the programme for Barcelona and is worth having a look at.

“It’s possible to get qualifying times here, although we have to back them up at the trials in Sheffield in June, but you can make a statement here this week.”

Faulkner is one of the big hopes of British swimming which is on the lookout for positive news following the retirements of Rebecca Adlington and Gemma Spofforth and the fallout from a disappointing Olympic campaign.

The Sheffield swimmer contested the 800m freestyle in London and reached the final at the world short-course championships in Istanbul in December.

She begins her quest for medals in her favoured event this morning, against Miley and Beijing silver medallist Keri-Anne Payne.

Simmonds, 22, is also in action in the 50m backstroke, with the heats at 9am every day and the finals from 5.45pm. Halsall today comes up against Dutch woman Ranomi Kromowidjojo, who won the Olympic 50m and 100m freestyle titles in London.

Olympians Joe Roebuck of Rotherham and Aimee Willmott of Middlesbrough begin their campaigns tomorrow while Rotherham’s Becky Turner and Dewsbury’s Matthew Johnson are also in action.