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The gawky adolescent who sat on her mother's lap is no more. Hannah Wilson has blossomed into an independent and self-assured teenager.
The 19-year-old Wilson firmly believes this maturity will hold her in good stead when she mounts the starting blocks at the Water Cube in her pet event - the 100 metres freestyle.
'I have grown a lot in the past four years. I'm not a little 15-year-old any more,' said Wilson. 'I now know what to expect.'
She is not talking about her physical well-being, but rather  mental maturity.
Four years ago, on the eve of her first  Games in Athens,  she sat awkwardly in mum Jane's embrace  for an interview during her lunch break  at Island School.
School is out now, and the timidity has been replaced by poise and confidence.
'A lot has changed for me since Athens,' Wilson said. 'The Olympics won't be such a shock to me. It will always be overwhelming, but I have more control now.
'I am much more confident when I race and feel like I have matured a lot.  I am more in control over decisions I need to make and more aware of what I need to do to perform.'
Wilson is representing Hong Kong in Beijing after receiving a repeat dispensation from the IOC. She is a British passport holder but, despite the IOC turning down special dispensation claims for six other Hong Kong aspirants (including four in equestrianism) she was given the green light because she had already appeared in Athens.
She is one of only three athletes granted  a dispensation this time - the other two being table tennis duo Lin Ling and Tie Yana, who also both competed under the bauhinia flag four years ago.
Apart from the benefits of experience and maturity, Wilson will have another reason to be more composed in Beijing - she will be wearing the world's fastest swimsuit, the Speedo LZR Racer, which was delivered to her  a few weeks ago.
'I believe when you put the suit on, it creates a different mindset,' Wilson said. 'It will put me in a different mood and help me feel ready and be more focused.'
More than 40 world records have been set in LZRs in the past few months, and among those wearing them in Beijing will be Michael Phelps.
Wilson won't be eyeing any world records. She will be happy if she can lower her time of 55.97 seconds - the Hong Kong record in the 100m freestyle - which she set in April at the Festival of Sport.
'I think the suit will help me. The extreme precision in design has benefited those who wear it. My hope is to do my best time.'
In Athens - after all the drama surrounding her eligibility had died down   -  Wilson proved her class by breaking her own Hong Kong record in the heats with an excellent time of 57.33.
It was not enough for her to qualify for the semi-finals - only the top 16 women from a field of 51 qualified. Wilson was ranked 34th then and hopes to better that this time around.
She has  consistently lowered her personal best at international meetings ever since she caught the eye as a 14-year-old when she broke the old mark with a 58.23 in 2003. But two years ago, at the Asian Games in Doha, she swam a disappointing 56.77, which was two-hundredths of a second outside her best time.
That was partly due to a punishing schedule as she took part in a number of other individual events, as well as the 100m freestyle relay where she won a bronze for Hong Kong.
In Beijing, she is only qualified for the 100m freestyle and the 100m butterfly, where she holds the Hong Kong record of 1:00.38. And with the past year being spent in the pool at the University of California, Berkeley,  Wilson feels she is at the top of her game.
'Training this year at Berkeley has been amazing,' she said. 'The team are so supportive and there is always someone to race day-in, day-out. I have done more dry-land training now than I did before and have become a lot stronger and more confident in the way I swim,' she added.
Between her course work - she is at the halfway mark and  still to make up her mind whether to major in psychology or anthropology - Wilson has spent five hours a day preparing for Beijing.
'The balance between swimming and studying is manageable because there is such a large support system, and a high motivation to do well in both aspects.'
She will have enough motivation in the stands at the Water Cube: her family will be watching her as she goes for broke.
She knows she won't be in the same class as, say, Australian world record holder Libby Trickett (52.88), but if she can lower the 55.97 mark, she will come away from Beijing happy.
'I aim to enjoy this experience,' Wilson said. 'A lot has changed since my first Olympics in Athens. But one thing will remain the same - to go out and have fun.'
Hannah Wilson is determined to finish higher than her 100m freestyle placing in Athens: 34th



Maturity and US training augur well for Wilson as she eyes record performance