Bouncing back after adversity is an essential quality for any elite sportsperson.

And there is no better Bermuda example than swimmer Emma Harvey, who took a break after a disappointing Commonwealth Games campaign in August to smash five national records last week.

Harvey set new marks in the 50 and 100 metres backstroke, 50 and 100 metres butterfly and the 100 metres individual medley at the Short Course World Championship trials in Illinois to banish any lingering memories of Glasgow disappointment.

“Anyone who was around me at Commonwealth Games definitely knew I was pretty disappointed with the results,” Harvey said.

“The way I try to approach it is to feel the emotions and get it out, so that you can then move forward without carrying that burden, but it was super disappointing in the moment.

“That’s how sport can go and you just have to figure out a way to be able to put that behind you. For me it also was easier in some ways as I knew that my performances were definitely affected from being sick.

“That’s why it didn’t affect my confidence as much because there was a very obvious reason why it didn’t go the way I wanted it to. That made it easier for me to put it behind me and know that that’s not where I’m at or where my potential is and be able to move forward keep working towards the goals I’ve set for the next few years.”

Those goals include the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics but Harvey’s recent records spree means she has qualified in five events at the Short Course World Championships, which takes place in Beijing, China, next month. Harvey will form part of a four-strong Bermuda team alongside Elan Daley, Elijah Daley and Jack Harvey.

The pressure was on Harvey going into the recent meet, but the weights on her shoulders were placed there by herself.

“I ended up taking a pretty big break in the summer,” Harvey said.

“I felt like when I started the season, I hit the ground running and those performances were almost like leftovers from what could have been in the summer.

“It’s always hard to know going in, expectation wise, but those times were around the times I wanted to be.”

The meet acted as the US trials for the short course world championships, which meant Harvey was not eligible to race in any finals, but that was a blessing in disguise as it allowed her to focus all her efforts on morning performances.

“It was an interesting meet for me because it was the only world-class approved event in North America for qualifying for the upcoming world championships,” Harvey said.

“That means that you know the meet’s going to run really well and be at a really high level. So I decided to go and I’m really glad I did because I had some really strong performances.

“Not being able to swim final added an extra layer of having to really go for it in the morning, which you have to get used to for big championship meets, so I was super happy, especially with my 50 and 100 back.”

Harvey’s focus has already switched to Beijing and with no meets between now and December, she has already worked out her training schedule.

“It worked out well because since this past weekend wasn’t necessarily a top-three target competition for my season, I didn’t have to really rest or taper too much off for it,” she said.

“That means I can sort of do another couple of really hard weeks of training and then I'll start to rest a little bit more for Beijing in the first week of December, which is definitely going to be my most important meet until 2027.”