Swimming: Siobhan-Marie O'Connor set for World Short Course Championships

Siobhan-Marie O’Connor is aiming to end a highly successful 2014 in style as she competes in the World Short Course Championships in Doha this week.

The Bath swimmer won an incredible six medals at the Commonwealth Games over the summer including the 200m individual medley gold in a Games and British Record time.

I was in a really good place at the end of last year but short course is a different ball game and I’ve got to be looking to be in the finals

Those achievements came in the long course arena and having recently returned to action after a break following the Games in Glasgow, O’Connor is now looking to replicate that form in the 25m short course pool.

The Sky Academy Sports Scholar has enjoyed success over the past two years at the European Short Course Championships, winning 100m individual medley bronze in consecutive years as well as the 200IM silver medal last year.

The step up from European to World level is a sizeable one, however given the huge strides O’Connor has made in the past 12 months she must be considered a genuine medal hope once more.

The 19-year-old is refusing to get ahead of herself though, explaining that she is yet to reach her long course level in the 25m pool.

“Long course was really good for me last season and I was in a really good place at the end of last year but short course is a different ball game and I’ve got to be looking to be in the finals,” O’Connor told Sky Sports.

Very quick

“My short course times probably aren’t as good as my long course times comparatively but if I have a good meet then I’d like to bring those down and then see where I am. You have a lot of girls who are very quick in short course, so we’ll see.”

In preparation for the championships, O’Connor has spent much of the past two months in Asia, firstly competing in two FINA World Cup meets before moving on to a four-week training camp in Thailand.

Despite picking up five medals over the two World Cups in Tokyo and Singapore, O’Connor revealed that she had not been anywhere near her best but that after the a good block of training in Thailand things have improved significantly.

“It was good to get some racing before we came here and the World Cups were really good again,” she said. “I love Tokyo and Singapore, I think they are the best two legs so I was really glad we got to do them again.

“I wasn’t really in very good shape, we hadn’t done a lot of training and I’d had a break over the summer so I didn’t feel too good there but I’ve had a good few weeks training and I’m feeling a lot better.”

O’Connor will be competing in the 100IM, 200IM and 200m freestyle in Qatar and will get her championships underway with the former on Thursday.