Hughes has mixed emotions after British Championship outing

Champions of TomorrowRising Stars

By Sam Wakefield,

CALEB HUGHES admitted he left his first taste of swimming’s big time with more questions than answers with his European Junior Championship chances up in the air.

UNCERTAIN: Caleb Hughes didn’t know whether he had done enough to reach the European Junior Championships at the British equivalent

Hughes got a taste of the London 2012 Olympic Aquatics Centre at the British Swimming Championships which doubled up as the test event for this summer’s Games.

And the teenager certainly made sure he soaked up the atmosphere in East London with a hectic schedule for the Championships numbering five separate events.

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However, despite such an action-packed schedule, Hughes was still unsure whether he’d done enough to book a spot on the plane to the European showdown in Antwerp.

And, while only too pleased to have shared the stage with Britain’s London 2012 hopefuls, Hughes admitted his continental limbo left a sour taste in the mouth.

“It was great to spend time at the Aquatics Centre and experience that,” he said. “My first day was affected by nerves but apart from that I was happy with how I performed.

“I got used to my surroundings after the first couple of days and there was a little bit less tension after that and it was much less daunting.

“I am hoping that I have qualified for the relay and if I have done that that would be fantastic because it would be a great experience.”

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At just 15 Hughes was punching above his weight in London against his senior rivals but he more than held his own, narrowly missing out on a final berth in the 1500m freestyle, ending 14th in 15:42.97minutes.

Top 30 finishes – no mean feat in fields numbering nearly 60 – in the 200m backstroke and 400m freestyle were also forthcoming.

And Hughes admitted there was much to be positive about, not least his ability to deal with the pressure.

“There were quite a lot of nerves because it was the biggest championships I have done but I managed to deal with them,” he added.

“The atmosphere was pretty good and the facilities were really good and it was a great experience.”

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To celebrate 15 years of support for British Swimming, Kellogg’s is offering a ‘Free Kids Swim’ on 30 million packs of cereal to encourage families to take the plunge together. Collect a voucher on pack and take it down to your local participating pool. For more information, please visit www.kelloggs.co.uk/swimming