Jemma Lowe: Reflections on a disappointing trials

The 2016 Olympic trials is now well in the past and it won’t be long until the GB team are preparing to compete at the Games at their holding camp in Brazil. The Olympics is such an amazing competition, my experiences from Beijing 2008 and London 2012 were incredible and I know all athletes going to Rio are going to be part of something special and very exciting.

Unfortunately for me, the trials didn’t go the way I wanted them to and I have had to deal with the disappointment of missing out on my favourite competition in the world. At the start of this season I was really determined to make the team and was on a mission every day of my training programme in Bath. My swims at competitions throughout the year were on track and I was feeling positive leading into my taper (the part of the season all swimmers love!) after the Edinburgh International Meet in March. Leading into the trials, my taper didn’t go exactly to plan, however I was still determined to have a successful meet as I knew all of the hard work I’d put in.

I did what I could on the day, but my results were not good enough to qualify for my third Olympic Games. I was obviously devastated, as well as my family, friends and coaches. In sport no matter how hard you work towards something, your result isn’t guaranteed, but it’s the journey that’s important and life goes on.

Things didn’t go completely to plan in Glasgow for Jemma

Since the trials in Glasgow, I have had some time to reflect on my swimming career and what will be best for me to do in the future. I have taken a step back from full time training, while still keeping my toes in the water, and I’m now able to spend a bit more time working with the company Swimpath. It’s great to have the opportunity to give something back to the sport and the swimming community, doing things like mentoring and swim clinics with clubs. But I’ll still be racing; next week I am swimming in the Aspria Swimming Cup in Milan alongside GB swimmers Liam Tancock, Calum Jarvis and some other big international names.

Competing for Great Britain and Wales is always exciting and as a swimmer I love the thrill of racing against the best in the world and representing my country. I’ve been competing internationally for over 10 years but with the results in Glasgow, I am now considering if it is time to move away from the competitive end of the sport or if I want to try to represent my country a few more times before hanging up the goggles for good. It’s a very difficult decision for me, as I’m sure it is for all swimmers who have been competing in the sport for so long. It’s not a decision to rush into though, and with the next Commonwealth Games in 2018 being on the Gold Coast in Australia, swimming for Wales for the 4th time at that level remains a definite possibility.

Jemma Lowe is supported by Swimpath – Developing today the swimmers of tomorrow

Swimpath has been designed to support individuals in their relentless pursuit of swimming betterment and is also bringing out a new training suit range, designed in Britain, called Watershack. Watershack is going to have a cool, fashionable and fun range of swimming suits as well as clothes, so next season swimmers will be able look great at training, in and out of the pool