BOURNEMOUTH’S Jack Burton insists the experience of competing at the Olympic Aquatics Centre in the British Gas Swimming Championships will prove invaluable to his development.

Burton competed in both the 100m and 200m breaststroke at the London 2012 venue – posting a time of 1:08.22 in the heats of the 100m.

The 15-year-old then took to the pool in the 200m three days later but only swam in the heats again as his time of 2:28.98 wasn’t enough to progress to the semi-finals.

In that time, Burton shared the pool with the cream of British swimming such as double Olympic champion Rebecca Adlington and was adamant he would learn from every swim.

“The 200m wasn’t too good for me because I didn’t get a personal best but I was just happy to have competed in the first place and managed to compete somewhat close to it,” said Burton.

“It was just so nerve racking and at the moment I am not quite there at my personal best and getting good enough times.

“But it will definitely aid my development and the experience I gained competing in the pool with all the other guys was great.”

And, with the British Gas Swimming Championships doubling up as the Olympic trials, Swim Bournemouth flyer Burton won’t be forgetting his time at the London 2012 pool any time soon.

“It was quite scary swimming, there was just a large scale to everything,” added Burton, who attends Ringwood School. “But compared with my other swims, I guess I am getting more comfortable in my surroundings and I know where everything is now.

“It was a good experience and if I had done this before I guess I could have got better times being more used to what was expected.

“But I will hopefully come back and being slightly disappointed should spur me on next year.”

n British Gas supports swimming at all levels and is getting the nation to show its support for Britain’s swimmers. For visit www.Facebook.com/BGSwimming.

• Seagulls’ 13-year-old Alice Tai swam herself into contention for selection for the European Disabiliity Championships as she helped to christen the Olympic pool earlier this month.

The Bournemouth Collegiate School’s swimming academy member slashed seconds off her personal best times in four multi-disabiliity events at the British Gas Championships and Olympic trials at the London Aquatics Centre.

Tai, who swims in the S10 category, has two more chances to improve her times over the next two weeks – at the junior national championships for disability swimmers later this month and next month’s stage two Paralympic trials.

In London, she lowered her 400m freestyle PB by 35 seconds to 5:14.83, her 100m freestyle and 100m backstroke times by four seconds to 1:10.41 and 1:21.14 respectively and her 50m freestyle PB by three seconds to 32.70.

Her places overall and among S10 swimmers were: 400m freestyle 16th and sixth; 100m freestyle 19th and fifth; 50m freestyle 20th and fifth; 100m backstroke 23rd and third.

Tai, who was recently shortlisted for the Hants and Isle of Wight Disabled Athlete of the Year award, has now made British Swimming’s disability development times for the 13, 14 and 15yrs age groups on 400m, 13 and 14yrs on 50 and 100m freestyle and 13yrs on 100m backstroke.