OKEHAMPTON swimming star Charlotte Maxwell is now a stroke closer to her ambition of Olympic stardom — she has just qualified to swim at the 2000 Sydney trials this July.

Charlotte, a student at Okehampton College, powered her way towards the Olympics at the Devon County Championships in Plymouth last weekend.

She won the 50 metres and 100 metres breaststroke events in times of 33.75 seconds and 1.14.40 seconds respectively, smashing all existing records in the process.

'I was hoping to qualify for the trials,' Charlotte said.

'I think I stand more of a chance for 2004 — I think I'm probably a bit young this year,' she admitted.

The opportunity of swimming at the 2000 Olympic trials means Charlotte will be rubbing shoulders with international stars like Karen Pickering and world record holders Mark Foster and James Hickman.

The experience will add to that notched up when she swam for the British junior team last year in the Three Nations competition at Cambridge. Then she competed in three breaststroke events and a medley relay.

Charlotte, aged 16, swims for Exeter City and Bath University — she said her coaches are 'very pleased' with last weekend's performance.

She trains twice a day, every day — despite the fact she is studying for her GCSE's this summer.

'Swimming means you have to have a strong sense of discipline — you just get used to having to do homework whenever you have five minutes,' she said.