Melbourne experience holds Hollingsworth in good stead

TTOM HOLLINGSWORTH is something of a reluctant star.

He loves his swimming, he is dedicated to it and, of course, he is extremely talented to boot.

Yet he still harbours that modest element of surprise when approached for an interview and the bashful grin that really came to prominence when he starred in the Shetland Island Games of 2005 remains.

Beneath it, though, is someone who has matured well and is preparing for his second crack at a Commonwealth Games.

Now 21, Hollingsworth (pictured) was one of seven Guernsey swimmers who mixed it with some of the world's elite in Melbourne in 2006, but he feels as if he has some unfinished business that he wants to rectify in Delhi next October.

'The Commonwealth Games is the main aim,' he said.

'The experience of the whole occasion is the biggest thing I took from Melbourne. That was the big one for me and I was quite disappointed with how I performed, but I think I was a bit overwhelmed when I was there.

Hollingsworth was speaking at the conclusion of Saturday morning's session of the Rothschild Island Swimming Championships.