Spofforth staying across the pond ahead of London 2012

By Ryan Bangs, Sportsbeat

GEMMA Spofforth has revealed she will be staying put in America until the London 2012 Olympics - and has vowed to mark the decision by securing double European Championship gold next month.

SETTLED: Gemma Spofforth insists she is happy in Florida and has not plans to return to home shores (Getty Images)

The 22-year-old first made the transatlantic switch to swim and study psychology at the University of Florida back in 2006 and has seen her emotions tested to the limit ever since.

Spofforth's mother, Lesley, tragically died of cancer in 2007, while in the pool at the Olympics in 2008 she finished an agonising fourth in the 100m backstroke final before she was crowned world champion in 2009.

The former Portsmouth Northsea swimmer will graduate later this year but insists she has no intentions of returning home ahead of the 2012 Olympics, which duck under the two-year mark today.

Instead she will remain in Florida where she has been working on making her 200m backstroke as good as her 100m and with the European Championships upcoming Spofforth is ready to show her progress.

"I am definitely still planning to stay in Florida in 2012 - I have a few things to clear up because my student visa runs out in August but this is what I want to do," said Spofforth - who combines swimming with volunteer work as an associate at a crisis centre.

"Florida is the place to train, the top coaches are there and for backstrokers the programme is exactly what you want - the best swimmers are there as well.

"If I am completely honest being a full-time swimmer terrifies me and I am grateful for the work that I am doing outside of the pool.

"Since I won 100m backstroke gold last year I have been working on the 200m - I want to medal in both that and the 100m at 2012 - because up until know I have just worked on the 100m.

"The Europeans will be a good test of that and where I am because I still don't know how to swim it but I definitely want to medal in both the 100m, the 200m and the medley relay."