NIAMH Robinson says she ‘will make the most of the moment’ after admitting swimmers have a short shelf life.

Despite being just 18-years-old, the Darwen teenager is looking forward to her second Commonwealth Games - and soaking up the experience, creating memories and making friends.

Robinson was just 14 when she swam for the Isle of Man in Glasgow four years ago - where she was the youngest member of the team - and has already set her sights on the Birmingham Games in 2022.

“I know I need to make the most of it now,” she said. “I need to make the most of the moment.

“It’s not a long career, it doesn’t go on forever and there is a point when you come to a stop and you have to chose another route to go down.”

Robinson, who is a ‘boarder’ at Mount Kelly School in Tavistock, uses Australian swimmer Sally Hunter as an example of life after swimming.

“When I was in Glasgow, I made friends with Sally who is retired now and has got a kid,” she said.

“It’s kind of funny because four years ago she was a Commonwealth Games swimmer and was medalling.

“Now she is a children’s book writer with a child of her own and not swimming any more. So it is funny seeing how quickly that can change.”

With that in mind, Robinson is studying four A-Levels at Mount Kelly as well as a BTEC while she is also participating in the ACE programme which is run by British Swimming and Dudley College in Birmingham.

A lot has changed for Robinson in that four year spell. She has grown up in and out of the pool and has had to deal with the ‘stress’ of leaving home at a young age.

“Moving away from home was a tough move to make, especially at the beginning,” said Robinson. “But I love boarding, having the independence and living with other people is a great experience to have. I think it sets me up for Uni very well.

“It can be difficult sometimes when trying to sort things out at home, and the travelling is always a pain, but it is very manageable and I would definitely recommend it.”

Robinson has qualified for eight events on the Gold Coast but will decide which ones to compete in once she gets to Australia.

And she is looking forward to the experience of swimming abroad - and hearing the support for the host nation.

“It will be totally different to Glasgow,” she said.

“We had a lot of support because it was quite close but when you go to the other side of the world - there are still people who travel out there - it is not quite the same.

“So you have to make the most of it and soak up the atmosphere they make for the home team.”

Robinson has competed on the international scene in the past, in Italy in 2015 and in Samoa at the Commonwealth Youth Games later that year.

“I swam in Italy with the England Talent Programme and I medalled internationally there which was amazing,” Robinson added.

“That was my first kind of meet where I had the experience of internationally medalling.

“We had all the flags so that was really fun.

“In Samoa, it didn’t go quite so well but it was a really good experience and I met a lot of new people and I am still friends with members of the South Africa team who I met there.

“We’ve kept in touch via messaging, Instagram, Facebook and things like that.

“Funnily enough, the girls that I met there have also been picked to go to the Gold Coast so that will be the first time I will see them again.”