Small-town Queensland swimmer Connor Smith sets his sights on Olympics dream

There are only 648 residents in the outback town of Richmond, more than 1,500 kilometres north-west of Brisbane.

But they will all be cheering on local swimming hero Connor Smith as he flies down the pool at the 2022 Australian Age National Championships in Adelaide next week.

The way the butterfly champion glides through the water, you would never guess his first steps were taken on red dirt country. 

Since relocating to Townsville for boarding school, Connor's support network has expanded with his new swim club.

And with his hometown behind him and the possibility of Olympic glory in front of him, the 15-year-old said he has never been more motivated.

«I've been doing at least six training sessions a week along with running and a lot of other physical sports just to keep my body in the best condition possible,» he said.

«I've got such great support with my school, my current club Townsville Brothers is just one big family, and my former club in Richmond. Everyone has always pushed me to achieve the best I can, and I'll be taking that with me into next week's competition,» he said.

With a personal best of 59.7 seconds for his 100-metre butterfly, the 15-year-old is 10 seconds off the world record of 49.45 held by US swimmer and Connor's idol Caeleb Dressel.

He said the next two years would be crucial for his swimming career.

«In the near future I'm looking at the 2024 Olympic trials and fingers crossed the Olympics.

»I'll definitely be looking at the International Swimming League and the World Championships," he said.

«One of my favourite swimmers is Caeleb Dressel because he's shown that in a small amount of time you can go from not being that well known to becoming one of the best swimmers in the world.»

With a big task ahead of