Trying to reach an Olympic Games almost cost triathlete Vanessa Raw her career four years ago, but she is hoping for better in 2012.

The 27-year-old only took up the sport in 2005 and was soon finishing second at the British Championships, before going on to finish fourth in the U23 World Championships in 2006.

The former Loughborough University student’s form saw her finish 10th at the Beijing Olympics test event in 2007, but things turned sour soon after as a succession of injuries hampered her progress.

A new coaching and management team – coupled with a move to her current training base in Kingston – saw her return to form with a bang last year as she finished 10th at a World Cup race in Mexico before winning the Eilat ITU Triathlon European Cup in Israel in October.

It has put her back in the hunt for one of two unclaimed 2012 Olympic places behind leading Brit Helen Jenkins and Raw is out to take her chance.

“I think I made the mistake of trying too hard to get to Beijing,” she said.

“Soon after the test event I got injured – with a stress fracture – and once that happens it can send an athlete on a downward spiral of injury after injury.

“It was difficult to stay positive. It nearly finished me.

“Everything changed last year when I was introduced to a new manager and new coaches.

“I’d only been back running for two weeks when I finished 10th in Mexico.

“I’ve got a lot of racing to do – including the European Championships – and have two world championship races in May where I have to finish on the podium if I want to go to the Olympics.

“It is going to be hard, but I wouldn’t be doing it if I did not believe I had a chance. Anything is possible.”

Raw, who studied fine art at university, is an accom-plished portrait artist and is currently painting canvasses featuring the likes of Stephen Fry, Jude Law and Sir Ranulph Feinnes for an exhibition she hopes to auction off for charity later this year.

She moved to Kingston from Loughborough in the summer and her current home doubles as a studio.

Raw swims with the Kingston Royals Swimming Club, is sponsored by Sigma Sports and is partial to the odd Bushy Park and Richmond Park parkruns on Saturday mornings.

And the Durham-born star says moving to the borough could not have worked out better.

“It is the perfect place to be with the swimming pool and parks around the corner. And as an artist it is better to be near London,” she added.

“I start training in the pool at 4.30am and by the time I’ve done a bike session, some work in the gym and a run it is 4.30pm and time to do some painting.

“I’ve taken photographs of all my subjects and it is a case of fitting in the painting after training and before bed at 8.30pm.

“I like to paint such massive canvases because it means you can really concentrate on painting the eyes. They are the window to the soul.

“It is a tough way of life, but I love it and can’t think of doing anything else.”