91Èȱ¬

If wins a gold medal for Great Britain at the London 2012 Olympic Games, you could argue the United States will deserve a thank-you note.

The 100m backstroke and world record holder set the fourth-fastest time in the world this year to reach the event's semi-finals at the , in Sheffield, on Tuesday.

That despite admitting she is working "off fumes" following a competition she values more than anything else this year: the in America.

Forget British trials, the European Championships and the Commonwealth Games. Leading the to a wafer-thin victory in the fiercely-contested US collegiate championships has made Spofforth's year, before 2010 has even begun for many British swimmers.

For the past four years, the 22-year-old has lived, studied and trained in Florida, feeding off the unique intensity of American university swimming. It is an experiment British swimmers have tried before, to varying degrees of success, but it is coming good with Spofforth.

Is America the way forward? Should British swimmers be on the next flights and parking themselves in the US for the next two years? Should swimming in Britain learn from its US equivalent? Or does Britain not need any help to rule its own pool in 2012?

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In the spring, a young swimmer's fancy lightly turns to thoughts of gold.

But if you want to be leaping onto the podium at the in Hungary this August, or holding your arms aloft in victory at October's in India, you first have to get into the team.

This is where that process begins. Over the next six days, the at Ponds Forge in Sheffield will kick off the qualification process for the various Commonwealth teams and the British squad for Europeans.

With no international rivals, it could be tempting to write this event off as a minor matter. But complacency here means missing out on the chance for major medals later in the year. No British swimmer can afford to take trials lightly.

Who, then, will make the grade in 2010? There are exciting new stars breaking through the established ranks, and not even household names like can rest on their Olympic laurels.

I've been speaking to top British swimmers and 91Èȱ¬ experts Steve Parry and to help pin down the ones to watch.

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It's easy to imagine that Winter Olympians depart en masse for a nice, warm beach the moment end.

Almost all of them are barely ever in the spotlight for more than a month every four years, and many are never heard from again - at least, until the next time.

Even , a sport which has now produced , is unlikely to get much more love than some reports when returns to competition, and the odd line buried on page 57 if she reaches a World Cup podium.

There are a good many reasons why that is the case, but the dazzle of the Olympic torch is sometimes guilty of obscuring the broader view.

Is it just the media and spectators whose enthusiasm dims with the flame, though? Or do the athletes themselves struggle to avoid a post-Olympic low?

The , beginning in Italy on Tuesday, are the perfect place to find out.

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Two years ago, Britain's men's hockey team faced a win-or-bust Olympic qualifying tournament in Chile. . They would most likely lose a hefty chunk of funding, too. Head coach Jason Lee admitted the situation was "as pressured as it can be".

A remarkable change has since occurred. Britain beat India to reach Beijing, , and the England team (which forms the vast majority of the GB squad) went on to stun their rivals by . They came from behind to beat Germany, the current world and Olympic champions, in the final.

Now, England are for the first time since 1986, and are once again pitted against the Germans. After years - if not decades - in hockey's doldrums, even a World Cup semi-final caps a commendable reversal of fortunes.

Lifting the World Cup title is a tantalising prospect this week, but just two years ago it appeared unthinkable.

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As a chicken emerged from the pit housing the broken leg of the Olympic cauldron, Vancouver organisers sent a clear message: the have recovered from a faltering start to end on a successful, buoyant note.

The beginning of saw the fourth strut of the indoor cauldron - which failed to activate as the Games opened, more than two weeks ago - finally lifted into place, in front of the world, with a sense of humour and self-deprecating style.

Closing ceremonies can, by their nature, become sad affairs. They look back at what has gone before, at events so fresh in the mind that it seems too soon for retrospectives. They look ahead to a future so distant, it feels barely relevant.

But what happens next is important for Canada, and for Great Britain - on and off the field of play.

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