Swimming: Nathan prepares to Capp off fine year

Greerton's Nathan Capp was at Baywave Aquatic Centre on Sunday ahead of the world champs in Russia next month. Photo / George Novak

Nathan Capp is mentally and physically ready for the most important swim meet of his career.

The 22-year-old Greerton Swimming Club star will compete at the 2015 FINA World Championships in Kazan, Russia, next month.

Capp will line up against the world's best in the 400m, 800m and 1500m freestyle, plus the 400m IM (individual medley).

He is hoping to make the top 10 at the world champs, which would mean he is swimming at the pace to make Olympic finals.

"I am in full training at the moment and when I do start to taper for worlds I should be in the best shape of my life," Capp said.

"I want to improve on all my times and I also want to break into the top 10 in the world. That gives you a realistic shot at making a final at the Olympics next year. When you are in a final anything can happen."

Capp will need to produce his best at next year's New Zealand Open Swimming Championships in April to be selected for the Rio Olympics.

"[Russia] is helpful in the sense it is international competition but it doesn't really affect what is going to happen next year with the Olympics," he said.

It has been a year to remember for Capp, who was in action last weekend at the Greerton Winter Champs held at Baywave Aquatic Centre.

He broke long-standing national records set by legends of the sport Danyon Loader and Dean Kent. At this year's New Zealand Open Swimming Championships he broke two New Zealand records in the 400m IM and 800m freestyle. He took half a second off Kent's national 400m IM record that has stood since 2006.

In setting a new 800m freestyle time of 7:58.30 he became the first New Zealander to swim under eight minutes and was nearly five seconds inside the old record set by Dylan Dunlop-Barrett.

He also smashed his own record in the 1500m freestyle by more than seven seconds. Capp owns both the national short course (25m pool) and long course (50m) 1500m records.

Last September he made headlines worldwide when he took a remarkable 16 seconds off double Olympic gold medallist Loader's short course record that had stood for 22 years.

"I have had a really good past few months and am really happy with how it is going. I am just looking forward to carrying that momentum on," Capp said.