TEENAGER Adrian Todd is firmly on course to fulfil his dream of swimming in the London Olympic Games – despite having less than three months’ experience as a club swimmer.

In fact the 16-year-old from Branksome finds himself in the extraordinary position of being an international swimmer even before he has turned out for his club, Bournemouth Dolphins.

Todd, who last week represented his native Botswana in the inaugural Youth Olympic Games in Singapore, said: “I was so nervous I was scared I wouldn’t leave the starting block. But once I got in the water I was fine.”

Despite being the youngest male competitor against mostly 17 and 18-year-olds from across the globe, he went on to finish 27th in the 50m freestyle in a long-course time of 25.08sec and 17th in the 50m butterfly in 28.69.

Both times were big PBs and the freestyle time immediately makes him the 19th fastest 16-year-old in Britain and 165th man – a remarkable achievement after less than three months’ training, much of that disrupted by illness and absences at major competitions in Africa and Asia.

Todd, who is due to start in the sixth form at Twynham School this month, said: “Singapore was all about gaining experience and the Botswana team managers were really pleased with how I did.

“Now they’ve told me to come back and train while they put together a competition programme for the next two years.

“They require me to qualify for the Olympics and that will probably mean getting my freestyle time down to a low 24sec – but I have until 2012 to do it.”

Todd spent his early childhood in Botswana, where his mother was born and his father has business interests.

He did a lot of swimming there but had only limited opportunities to compete in a landlocked country of two million with virtually no swimming heritage.

His dramatic breakthrough came earlier this year when he returned to Botswana for a holiday, took part in a swimming gala and recorded the fastest time off the day.

His talents were noticed by Botswana Olympic officials, who advised him to start training with a club in England and immediately selected him for internationals along with his friend Daniel Lee, who still lives there.

Todd started training with Dolphins in June and within a month was swimming in the African Youth Games in Morocco, where he achieved two fifth places.

Between then and Singapore, he had three weeks training but was ill for two of them and had to swim uncoached for the third.

Todd, who left Oakmead School in July, said: “This journey has only just started but it’s already going somewhere, hopefully.

“Having the Olympics in London is a great incentive and that’s my target.

“I still have to qualify at some point but for now it’s a question of getting some training and experience.”