THE 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow are the next big target for Swim Bournemouth’s Adrian Todd following his first taste of swimming’s long-course World Championships.

Todd, 19, was one of only three swimmers – and the only man – swimming for Botswana in Barcelona.

He was born in the African country – population two million – and lived there until his family returned to the UK and settled in Bournemouth when he was 16.

Todd has already swum for Botswana in many other international competitions, including the continent-wide African Championships, the 2010 Youth Olympic Games in Singapore and last year’s World Short Course Championships in Istanbul.

But Barcelona was by far his biggest meet so far.

Only the Olympics are bigger – and Todd already has his sights on a trip to Rio in 2016.

“Barcelona was a bit different,” he said. “Little things are different. The atmosphere is different. And there are a lot more people here – including more swimmers!”

Todd’s opponents in his two events in Barcelona included world record holder Cesar Cielo Filho of Brazil, Olympic champions Florent Manaudou of France and Chad Le Clos of South Africa, former Olympic champion Anthony Ervin of the USA and several other Olympic medallists.

In his first event, the 50m butterfly, he went under 26 seconds for the first time in a 50m pool to finish 52nd out of 80 in 25.98sec.

“It was good to do a PB in the world championships even if it was only a tiny one,” he said.

“But it could have been better. I messed up a little bit. I think I glided a bit on the finish.”

In the 50m freestyle heats six days later, Todd was 64th out of 107 swimmers in 24.65.

“I was not happy with that time,” he said.

“But it was good experience. It gives you an insight into what it is like at this level.

“It is a lot different to regional and national galas and things like that.”

In the meantime, though, it is back to such events as the National Arena League West for Todd – until next summer, when he hopes to be representing Botswana at Glasgow 2014.

If he is, he will be following in the footsteps of Swim Bournemouth head coach Emma Richards who, as Emma Hirst of Ferndown Otters, represented her native Jersey in the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester.

Fellow Ferndown swimmer Karen Legg also swam in the Manchester Games for England – and came home with five medals, including a relay gold, more than any other home nations swimmer.