By Sean Davies BBC Sport

Davies has gold in his sights

World Championship and Olympic bronze medallist David Davies has vowed to improve before the Commonwealth Games.

The 20-year-old from Barry was beaten into 1500m freestyle third at the Worlds by Australian great Grant Hackett and American Larsen Jensen.

But the man popularly christened 'Dai Splash' by his Welsh fans has a plan in place ahead of Melbourne 2006.

"I'll recuperate now, but then it's an intense training routine. I can develop strength, speed and power," he said.

"I'll be putting in 50-55 miles a week, training intensely for 27 hours, to get me into the right shape.

"It's a hard slog, especially on the dark winter mornings, but if I don't do it I know I'll miss out."

The City of Cardiff man was pleased with his performance in the World Championships in Montreal last month to prove that his Olympic medal was no fluke.

"It's always harder to do something again and I was delighted to re-establish myself," Davies told BBC Sport Wales.

"The final went well and I swam as my coach asked, but unfortunately I couldn't quite get the silver.

"Now the aim is to get the preparation right for Melbourne and move on."

We're helping each other to improve, but hopefully next time I can get the better end of it David Davies on rivals Larsen Jensen and Grant Hackett

He acknowledges that his intense rivalry with Jensen and Hackett will fuel him through the long months of training.

"It's a hectic battle that keeps everyone on their toes," said the Welshman.

"We're helping each other to improve, but hopefully next time I can get the better end of it."

If Jensen is firmly in his sights, Davies acknowledges that at the moment Hackett - undefeated in the event for eight years - is a class apart.

"Hackett is a world-class athlete who I have a lot of respect for," enthused Davies. "It's a big ask to challenge him.

"He was five seconds ahead of me in Montreal, but that's not bad in a 15-minute race.

"It can be made up and I'll chip away at him, but the trouble is he'll be trying to improve as well."

If targeting Hackett is one of the hardest jobs in sport, Davies has a dream in mind to keep himself motivated.

"Getting a gold medal swimming for Wales and beating Hackett in front of his home Australian crowd - that would be the ultimate for me," mused the youngster.

He may just have the talent and commitment to make his dream a reality.