Swimming: Shy girl Thomas lets her backstroke do the talking

20-year-old Emily Thomas holds the national record for both the 50m and 100m backstroke. Photo / Getty Images

For swimmer Emily Thomas, actions really do speak louder than words.

Competing in a sprint event where the aim is as few strokes as possible, the backstroker is a woman of even fewer words.

Her coach, Scott Talbot, warns beforehand: "If you are interviewing her - good luck. You have to get the answers out of her, that is for sure."

Now Thomas may have to get used to the attention and the limelight.

While the focus is on some of the more recognisable names in the 12-strong New Zealand swim team, the 20-year-old from Gisborne is one of our genuine medal contenders in Delhi. She is currently ranked in the top three in the Commonwealth in her specialist event, the 50m backstroke.

Thomas won a bronze medal at the Pan Pacific Championships in California last month - the first Kiwi to make the podium at that level since 1997; a stunning effort at her first major world event. She is the national record holder for the 50m and 100m events and aims to match the achievements of Commonwealth backstroke medallists such as Anna Simcic and Sylvia Hume.

Thomas doesn't dispute her coach's assessment. "I'm a bit shy," she admits. "If I know you I will be better but otherwise I don't say much."

Don't be misled by the verbal reticence - this is one super-ambitious, focused athlete.

"I think I can be at the top one day - one of the best in the world," says Thomas. "It might take a while but I can get there. I don't really have anyone I look up to - I want to be the person I look up to."

Coach Talbot has long admired her motivation and inner strength: "She is very determined - probably the most determined swimmer around. She is always first to arrive at training. Underneath that lovely exterior is a very hard, tough person - good qualities for a swimmer."

According to Talbot, who has guided her for the last two years, she has an ideal combination of power and precision.

"She's very powerful but also has great speed under water and finesse. She has really natural top-end speed - which is a gift - but is also willing to work on her weaknesses."

Above all, Talbot likes her ability to perform when it matters most. "Emily has that rare ability to get into a really competitive mindset no matter what the pressure."

Before the race, plugged into R&B on her i-pod, she is always nervous, knowing how crucial the opening stages are.

"If I get the start and break out right then it is all good," she says. During the race, as the pain and lactic acid begin to kick in, the mantras are simple.

"Medal, medal, medal - win, win, win - that is all I am saying to myself."

After relocating from Gisborne to Auckland, the pivotal moment came at the national trials last year. She cut three seconds off her personal best to win the 100m backstroke, in a time comparable to world championship speed. "I was thinking, 'hey - I could actually be pretty good'," she recalls.

The demands of her sport make for a "boring" social life, one of the many sacrifices that have to be made. "You put everything into it but it is going to pay off - hopefully."

Apart from racing, in Delhi she is also looking forward to catching the rugby sevens and the athletics - "I want to watch Valerie [Vili]." She loves baking - "not the best for a swimmer, I know" - and always makes a cake (speciality banana or chocolate) whenever someone in the team has a birthday.

Just don't ask her to lead the singing.