RAWTENSTALL’S Thomas Hamer is on world-record pace in the pool – as he bids for a medal in the British Championships this week.

The 15-year-old is an S14 category swimmer – for athletes with learning difficulties – and smashed the 200m freestyle record by nearly three seconds at a meet in Sheffield last month.

The time did not count as he is not officially S14-classified yet, but Hamer has his sights on toppling the record sooner rather than later.

And it could come on Saturday when he competes in the 200m freestyle final.

Hamer heads into the event ranked third and with genuine medal prospects.

The weekend is one of many targets in a big year for the Alder Grange student, as he aims to collect a medal haul at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in July.

“I beat the record by about two-and-a-half, nearly three seconds, so hopefully when I get my classification I can go on and do it again,” he said of his swim last month.

“I had the potential to do it because I didn’t use to swim as a Paralympian, I was able-bodied. I wouldn’t say I was the best but I was more or less up there, but then with the classification I was quite fast.

“Hopefully I’ll be a big favourite, Glasgow is good but I wanted to go abroad really! It would mean the world to get to the next Olympics in Rio too.”

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