Madelyn Moore will look to secure her spot at the Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast, Australia, when she competes at the Luxembourg Euro Meet, which starts tomorrow.

The 17-year-old swimmer will perform the 50 metres freestyle as she aims to qualify for her first major competition.

Moore has been fine-tuning her technique in search of a big performance and remains positive about her chances of achieving her qualifying objective.

“I have been working hard,” Moore told The Royal Gazette. “My coach has modified some parts of my stroke technique, as well as the rhythm and timing to focus on trying to meet the qualifying time for the Commonwealths.

“I’m trying to get the small things right as it’s so important in such a short race.

“There are no guarantees, but I’m staying positive and focused and I’m hoping for a good result.

“This is the first time I will have competed in Luxembourg. It’s a high-level meet with Olympic medal-winners competing in it.

“It’s going to be a phenomenal experience.”

Moore’s hopes of reaching the Gold Coast appeared to have been over after she failed to meet the standard before the qualification deadline.

She came to within four hundredths of a second of the mark while setting a Bermuda record and personal-best time of 26.10sec in the 50 freestyle at the English Schools Swimming Association National Relay Championships at the London Aquatics Centre in November. She was then forced to pull the plug on qualification because of an illness.

However, Moore’s hopes are alive again after being granted a final chance to reach the standard outside of the deadline by the Bermuda Amateur Swimming Association and Bermuda Olympic Association.

“I was so thankful to BASA and the BOA for allowing me another opportunity to qualify,” said Moore, who has accepted a full scholarship to attend the University of Northern Colorado. “I was on track to have the time and then unfortunate things happen to prevent you reaching your goals. It was so frustrating.

“It has been a tough time trying to get my fitness back. I just hope that I meet the time so I can represent Bermuda on the world stage.”