A tenacious teenager has her eyes firmly fixed on the 2012 Olympics after making a splash in the world of diving.

Jenny Cowen is back in training at Shipley pool after returning from the Youth Olympics in Australia with two medals.

The 17-year-old also picked up a bronze medal with her City of Leeds diving partner Aimee Walker a fortnight ago in the women’s three-metre synchronised event at the National Championships in Sheffield.

Jenny, of Cross Roads, Keighley, said: “I would love to compete in the Olympics in London in three years’ time but there are as many as seven pairs who are in with a chance of getting there.”

Jenny was inspired to take up the sport by her older brother Matthew, 20, who is a show diver.

She had originally planned to study photography at university in the autumn after finishing her A-levels at Parkside secondary school, in Cullingworth.

But, in the last few weeks, Jenny has realised she is more interested in sports psychology.

While the late change of mind may have narrowed her future studying options, it may ironically prove beneficial to her chances of Olympic glory were she to take a part-time job and embark on a gap year.

Jenny, who is taking photography, product design and sport studies as her A-level subjects, originally joined Bradford Esprit Diving Club, but decided to join the City of Leeds club when her coaches moved away.

She said: “I have just come back from the Youth Olympics in Australia. It was a real adventure and I got a silver on the three-metre synchro and bronze on the ten-metre synchro.

“I was just going out and trying to achieve my best. I wasn’t expecting to come back with two medals so that’s pretty good.”

Jenny said the idea of the event, held in Sydney, was to make it like a smaller version of the Olympics, right down to the Olympic village.

She was speaking after taking part in a practice session yesterday alongside fellow diving prospect Chloe Hurd, 16, of Haworth.

Chloe said: “I have just been to the British Championships and I got a personal best there, so now I am looking towards the Europeans.”