Jay inspired by the Bullet (From Dorset Echo)

Jay inspired by the Bullet

8:49am Wednesday 1st February 2012 in Youth Sport By Ky Capel

EACH Olympiad galvanises a generation of prospective athletes and for swimming sensation Jay Lelliott, 2004 was his inspiration.

It was at the 28th Games in Athens where a nine-year-old Lelliott watched in awe as America’s Michael Phelps became the first-ever athlete to win eight medals – six of them gold – at a non-boycotted Olympics.

The Baltimore Bullet’s exploits, which would later include eight more golds in Beijing 2008, helped shape Lelliott’s sporting future with the Portlander immediately signing up to join the Tornadoes of South Dorset Swimming Club.

However, his initial enthusiasm had to be curbed somewhat after being put on an extensive waiting list.

But after 18 long months, the desire still burned strong and Lelliott finally got his chance to emulate the great Phelps.

Looking back, the youngster, who turns 17 today, said: “I started swimming with the Tornadoes when I was 11.

“I remember watching the Athens Olympics when I was nine and I thought it was really good.

“I remember seeing Michael Phelps in action and he was my inspiration to get into it.

“It was 18 months before I got into the water with Tornadoes though, as they were a big squad back then and had a long waiting list. So I had to wait quite a while.

“But we have a good system at Tornadoes and Phil Daniels is a great coach.

“Our previous head coach Ed Stevens was also good and I really enjoyed working under him.”

After hitting the water, it wasn’t long before Lelliott’s burgeoning talent emerged.

And although he one day dreams of starring in a future Olympic showcase, the birthday boy, who is also a big fan of Britain’s Liam Tancock and Rebecca Adlington, is very much focused on the here and now.

He added: “It would be an absolute dream to make the Olympics, I would love to go one day. But at the moment I’m not focusing on that, instead I need to get closer to the goals I set each year.

“Maybe I will get close to the Olympics one day, but not for a few years.

“Short-term I have the British Championships in March where I will just be doing the 200m fly. It’s the first time I have qualified for the championships and I will get the chance to see the new Olympic pool, which will be really exciting.

“I’ve also got the British Youth Nationals in mid-July, which is the main goal because that is focused on age groups and is where I’m hoping to really excel myself as I will be doing four or five events.

“We have also got the County Championships in a few weeks in Bournemouth, and we are all getting excited for that, while the regionals are held in May.”

The Thomas Hardye sixth-form student, whose preferred stroke is the butterfly, currently trains 12 hours a week but the determination to reach the highest level means he is eager to double his efforts.

He said: “I train six times a week, which I’m quite happy with, but I wish I could train a bit more because some of the top clubs train for 24 hours a week.

“I’m only on 12 at the moment and I wish I could do 24 as it would give me more of a chance to reach my full potential.”

With the Games coming to London – and Weymouth & Portland – this summer the teenager will no doubt split his spare time between the pool and the television.

Lelliott added: “Definitely. I watched a lot of the Beijing Games and I was always in front of television – I’m sure I will be the same this summer.

“It will be more interesting and easier for everyone to watch because the events will be on at our local time, as opposed to Beijing when everything happened overnight and early in the morning.

“It’s also going to be very interesting when the sailing come to this area and I’m really looking forward to it.”