When you have won medal after medal and broken a national record in the last year, it must be difficult to get used to losing again.

Swimmer Sam Williamson cut a swathe through the Caribbean last year, winning five medals at the 2022 Carifta Championships in Barbados and breaking the Bermuda 400 metres individual medley record at the British Championships in April.

It has been a stellar run of success, but the 19-year-old is now stepping out of the junior ranks for the first time at the Pan American Games as he prepares to take on some of his sport’s elite performers today.

“I’m very excited and proud to represent Bermuda at senior level for the first time,” Williamson said.

“I think it’s going to be a great experience and I’m really excited to go as I’m taking that big first step by getting into senior competitions and this is the next level.

“Over the coming years I want to be staying at this level, but obviously going from winning medals in the junior competitions, it’s going to be a bit of a change. The people I’m racing against are going to be a lot faster and it’s going to be a lot harder , but I just need to keep doing what I’m doing and once I get there I hope the racing will sort itself out.”

Williamson has been studying at Bath University, where he trains with Andrei Vorontsov, who was the Olympic coach for Russia and Sweden, and his times have continued to improve since moving there a year ago.

“I broke the 400 individual medley record in April and was very proud of that,” Williamson said.

“Since I joined Bath University my swimming has gone to another level and I’m happy with where it’s going and hopefully this year I can drop some even more time.

“At Bath and swimming at university level they prioritise more the technical aspects and the things that you need to work on as you. When you train as a group in high school, or coming up, they throw you all together and work on you as a group, whereas at university level they break it down a little bit and work on your individual needs. That has really helped with my IM and helped me to succeed.”

While Williamson continues to make significant progress, he is under no illusions at the level of competition he faces.

“I’m not really expecting too much,” he said.

“I’m just hoping to swim fast and better than my personal bests or at least be around there.

“Since I moved to the UK I’ve got used to not winning everything as the guys here are really good. It’s not going to be that big a shock but achieving personal best times would be great. As long as I give it my all and swim close to my personal bests you never know. There's maybe a chance of a B final but I’m not going there expecting to be in a final. I’ll try my best and if a B final happens it will be great, but I’m not expecting that just now.”

Williamson is Bermuda’s busiest swimmer at the games, qualifiying in the 100 and 200 metres breaststroke, the 200 and 400 metres individual medley and the 200 freestyle, and he plans to remain fully focused despite the distractions at the village.

“Racing over the years means I am prepared and know how to focus when I get there,” he said.

“It will not be distracting but cool to see what’s going on in the village, but once I’m at the pool in swimming mode I think I’ll be able to focus pretty well.

“Looking at the schedule I have one race per day, so I don’t really have to prioritise. I do have my preferences, which are the longer ones, the 400 medley and the 200 breaststroke, but I’m there to do my best in every race at every distance.”

The Bermuda swimming community is a tight one and the chance to compete in Santiago alongside long-time friends Madelyn Moore and Jack and Emma Harvey will make Williamson’s first visit to the Pan American Games extra special.

“We all went to the same school so we knew of each other from about the age of 5,” he said.

“When we got into swimming we were seeing each other basically every day and every weekend at swim meets. I’m still good friends with Jack outside of swimming and we talk most days but I’m excited to see them all and it should be a good time.

“It will be great to catch up with some people from the Caribbean and I’m not sure which of the Americans will be going as the World Cup’s going to be on, but if any of the big names are there I would love to meet them, get a chance to race against them and see where I stand.”

The Olympics is forefront in the minds of most athletes with less than 12 months to go until Paris and Williamson is no different with the increased competition in the pool pushing him closer to those all important qualifying times.

“I’ve had a look at the Olympic qualifying times and obviously they are tough but if it was easy everybody would be able to go,” he said.

“That’s my long-term goal for the year and I’m always working towards those times regardless, but anything can happen. I would love to go the Olympics this time around but maybe it will come next time.

“I know that on race day if I achieve my goals it’s because I’ve put the hard work in and it’s all down to me, but if I’ve not achieved there is no one to blame, it’s only me. I can’t blame team-mates for a bad pass, but it’s great to know that if you want something to change, you are the one that’s going to do it.”