Patten aiming to swim the Channel

Patten says she has always dreamed of swimming the Channel

Olympic bronze medallist Cassie Patten is in training to attempt to swim the English Channel next year.

Patten, 21, is no stranger to long distance swimming, having come third in the 10km open water swim and making the final of the 800m freestyle in Beijing.

"There have always been two things that I have wanted to achieve - running a marathon and swimming the Channel," said Patten, from Liskeard.

"Now seemed like the right time to give the Channel a go."

"It's something I've always wanted to do since I was a little girl," added the former Plymouth College pupil.

She hopes to attempt the swim in either August or September 2009, and her coach Sean Kelly says it is a welcome change for her after her Beijing exertions.

Swimming 25 miles is a really long way. The longest I've ever swum before is 10km so this is obviously a very different challenge. I've never even swum that far in training so it will be completely different

Cassie Patten

"After the Olympics I think Cassie needed a new challenge and it's nice for her to have a new target and set some different goals.

"This is a completely different mental and physical challenge to anything she has ever done before but I think that's a good thing for her."

The current record for a woman swimming the Channel, according to the Channel Swimming Association, is seven hours and 40 minutes by Penny Lee Dean in 1978.

And Kelly thinks Patten has a great chance of breaking that mark:

"A world record is definitely a possibility, she has the talent to achieve it.

"However, in swimming the Channel the conditions on the day will play a massive part. There is only so much she can do; she will be in hands of the weather and the tides," he said.

Patten won bronze in the 10km open water swim at the 2008 Olympics

But Patten is not thinking about records, but concentrating on completing the swim.

"A world record would be amazing, I am aware that it is a very big challenge but I always believe anything is possible.

"It is a long time between now and next summer and a lot can happen so I am not going to make any predications at this stage.

"Swimming 25 miles is a really long way. The longest I've ever swum before is 10km so this is obviously a very different challenge. I've never even swum that far in training so it will be completely different.

"The biggest difficulty I think I will have is swimming completely on my own. In open water races there are normally a lot of people around me and if the whole field swims slowly, in a tactical race, then I can still win.

"With the Channel it is just going to be me, on my own, against the clock. While there will be a support crew with me there will be very little interaction, so will be on my own for six or seven hours which I will find mentally quite tough. It will just be a race against myself."

Patten is hoping to raise money for three charities during her swim - BBC Children in Need, Mind and Right to Play.