KATE Haywood admits she will travel to the European Championships in Budapest with just one aim in mind – winning a battle of Britain on the banks of the Danube.

The 23-year-old travels to the Hungarian capital having spent the majority of the year recovering from surgery on her hip and playing second fiddle to adopted Brit Achieng Ajulu-Bushell.

Haywood was forced to surrender her British 100m breaststroke title to Ajulu-Bushell in March as she not only qualified for the Europeans but the Commonwealth Games – the main aim for 2010 – as well.

Grimsby-born former Louth Dolphin Haywood had to settle for silver with her time of 1:09.56mins not good enough to seal her passage to Delhi in two months time.

Haywood will bid to do so at the European Championships, but insists settling for second again behind teenager Ajulu-Bushell – who used to swim for Kenya – isn't an option.

"Going to the Europeans is better than going to another trials and having to race against myself," said Haywood – who will swim the 50m and 100m breaststrokes in Budapest.

"To qualify for the Commonwealths I had to win back in March. You could still go if you finished second, which I did, but then you had to hit a time and I was just outside that.

"The second fastest person, essentially, will go but I am getting nearer to my personal best every time I'm in the pool and I want to be going as the fastest British girl.

"I want to go out to the Europeans, race as fast as I can, make finals and be the fastest British breaststroker going to the Commonwealths.

"The breaststroke is strong in Europe and the Europeans are a good chance to go out and race quick against the best swimmers in the world and hopefully the competition will push me to go fast."

While Ajulu-Bushell has youth on her side, Haywood has proven experience at the European Championships having scooped silver in the 50m breaststroke in Hungary back in 2006.

Haywood won European 4x100m medley gold two years later in Eindhoven but openly admits that she has not 100 per-cent recovered from surgery on her hip last year.

She concedes the problem may always be there and with that and the Commonwealth Games in mind concedes she isn't aiming for further European medals in Budapest.

"I still have a problem and the hip still isn't back to normal and I still can't train a full amount on my breaststroke kick," she added.

"It takes a long time for an injury like the one I have had to heal and it could be like it forever – but fitness-wise I am back to where I was before it all.

"And for me at the moment I am not shooting for medals at the Europeans. I want to get back swimming quicker than I ever have been and anything on top of that would be a bonus."

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