It might have been in the middle of the summer holidays but that did not stop swimmers from Mildenhall Swimming Club donning their goggles for training day with a difference.

On August 8 a team from the Sharks travelled to the London Aquatics Centre in the Olympic Park for a session in the 50m pool which hosted the likes of Becky Adlington, Chad Le Clos and Michael Jamieson during the 2012 Olympics.

For the swimmers, the trip was akin to a young footballer visiting Wembley Stadium for the first time, with many never having swum in a ‘long course’ pool before. As well as the main 50m competition pool the facility is home to a 50m training pool, which can be split into two 25m pools, and a diving pool.

Sally Russell, Mildenhall’s head coach, said the chance for her swimmers to compete in a 50m pool only comes at certain events.

“It is only if they qualify for the long distance County Championships in Norwich or the Regional Championships (Norwich or Luton) that they have the opportunity,” she said.

“Otherwise all the competitions they attend are in 25m pools. It is a very different experience to swim in a 50m pool, the time to swim 50m in a 25m pool is usually faster than in a 50m pool due to the lack of a turn.”

Team manager Sarah Carter added: “The swimming pool is heated to race temperature, so it makes it a few degrees colder than public swimming pools they are used to swimming in.

“The trip was such a success we are planning to take more swimmers to the venue.”