Norwich swimmer Anne Bochmann admits she faces a race against time to get herself ready for the London 2012 Olympic trials — but revealed she is taking the tortoise, rather than hare approach.

The 17-year-old former Norwich High School for Girls pupil finished an agonising fourth in the 400 metres freestyle at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi, but suffered a back injury shortly after her return to the UK.

As a result she missed out on the British Championships in March and, while she will be in attendance at the ASA National Championships in Sheffield next month – which doubles as the second trials for this summer's World Championships in Shanghai – Bochmann is not rushing her recovery.

Instead, the former UEA City of Norwich racer will be putting in a slow and steady block of training this summer, and believes that will mean she is in peak condition when it matters next year.

Bochmann said: 'I have been out for a few months with a back injury. I did it shortly after we came back from the Commonwealth Games. So this season is mainly about working hard and making up for the lost time as much as possible.

'I will be going to the second trials in Sheffield but I don't think I am really going to rest for it. I want to go there and see what I can do and see whereabouts I am, and I may also go to the US National Championships in the summer.

'Sheffield will mainly be about trying to get some hard racing in but also the hard training in as well, I really need to focus hard on that at the moment.

'It was really annoying to be out and not being able to do the hard work, which was what I wanted. But these things happen and what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. You just have to keep working at it.

'This season hasn't gone very well but I will just train through the summer and hopefully into next year I will have a bit more luck.'

Even if Bochmann had designs on squeezing into the British squad for the World Championships, it would have to be for the 400m individual medley, with both 400m freestyle spots already taken up by Olympic champion Rebecca Adlington and Jaz Carlin.

But Bochmann admits her medley training is well behind schedule and is purely focused on getting back up to speed in time for the Olympic trials, set to be held at the London 2012 Aquatics Centre.

'I was out of the water for about three to four months and then I got back in and did more freestyle work.

'I haven't really done any medley work for about six months now,' she said.

'I am getting back into it now and it is all fine at the moment but I have obviously missed a lot of time and that is a lot of work I need to put in to almost catch up.'

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