SWIMMING sensation Stephanie Millward will have her head in the clouds this weekend as she looks to give herself a fitness boost in the build-up to a crucial year of competition.

The 27-year-old from Corsham will be jetting off to the Sierra Nevada mountain range in Spain on Friday for a three-week altitude training camp.

Millward, whose family live in King’s Avenue, Chippenham, picked up an eight-medal haul at the World Short Course Championships in December but knows that the lofty training schedule in southern Spain will be gruelling.

“I’m quite nervous about it because you have to see how your body will react,” she said.

“It’s supposed to increase the number of red blood cells you have which we’ll test before and afterwards, so it could help my fitness when I get back competing.”

Swansea-based Millward, who also won the BBC’s London 2012 Paralympic hopeful award last month, has the British Championships in April and the World Championships in August to look forward to.

However, her biggest competition in 2010 is set to be the Commonwealth Games in October.

“The Commonwealths should be fun but there aren’t too many events for girls,” said Millward.

“It will be interesting to see how well I do.”

Millward has a clear idea of who her main competition for podium places will be at the event in Delhi, India.

“Natalie du Toit (South African Paralympic champion and Olympian) has got all the Commonwealth and world records.

“I’d like to give her a good race and if I win it be wonderful. I don’t think I’ve raced her since the Paralympics and I want to show her who I am.”

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