Paris is widely regarded as one of the most romantic cities in the world.

Notre-Dame, the Eiffel Tower, the Champs-Elysees… it’s easy to see why so many young couples flock to France’s capital.

Alex Cohoon is hoping to be in Paris with his girlfriend next year, but while sightseeing would be a possibility, that would not be the primary reason for their visit.

You see, Alex and his girlfriend Abbie Wood are very good swimmers, so good, in fact, that they’re both hoping to compete in the 2024 Paris Olympics.

For 20-year-old Alex, it would be his first Olympics, while Abbie, who is 24, competed in the Tokyo Olympics, finishing fourth in the 200 metres individual medley.

“She’s a very good swimmer, she’s better than me,” said Alex, who is from Fairford. “We push each other, it would be so nice if we could both go together, it’s a big motivator.”

Alex met Abbie at Loughborough University – Alex is two-thirds of the way through a three-year course in sport and exercise therapy – and if his swimming continues to progress at its current rate there’s every chance he could realise his Olympic dream next year.

A freestyler, his realistic target is a place in Great Britain’s 4x100 metres relay team and he said: “It’s do-able, it’s not miles out of reach. It’s definitely a goal I’m going for, there’s nothing holding me back. All the facilities I need are at Loughborough and my family are fully supportive.”

It was his parents who introduced him to swimming when he was still quite young, although he readily admits he wasn’t taken with the sport initially.

“I started swimming when I was eight or nine,” said the former Farmor’s School pupil. “My mum used to take me for lessons but I always used to argue with her because I didn’t want to go!

"It wasn’t until I had a growth spurt when I was about 13 or 14 and I got quite good that I started to like it.”

It was some growth spurt because these days he’s 6ft 4in. His talent in those formative years was honed at Cirencester Swimming Club – he was a member from the age of eight to 18 – and he said: “It was a big chunk of my life, they were very good to me.”

His parents, Craig and Jane, have been very good to him too, of course, and they remain his biggest supporters.

Much of his time these days is spent in Loughborough and if you ask him where he considers home he laughs before saying: “My mum would kill me if I didn’t say Fairford so I’ll say Fairford, but Loughborough for the sport. I always want to keep my mum happy!”

Alex’s first big-race win came at the age of 16 when he was crowned age group champion in the 50 metres freestyle at the English Nationals at Ponds Forge in Sheffield.

“That was the turning point,” he said.

Indeed it was, although he was still a long way from where he wanted to be when he went to university.

“I wasn’t very good when I went to Loughborough,” he admitted. “I went there as a baby but in the first 12 months there I came out of nowhere.”

Great Britain is blessed with a good number of top-quality freestylers at the moment – “I’m in a competitive field,” admitted Alex – but he is ranked in the top 10 in this country for both the 50m and 100m freestyle.

His best time for the 100 is 49.24 and he reckons he needs to get down to a low 48 if he is to make it to Paris.

So what are his strengths?

“My stroke rate and my stroke power,” he said. “They are right up there with the best.”

And what does he need to work on?

“My under water starts and my turns,” he said.

His next big test is the European Under-23 Championships in Dublin in mid-August. That will provide Alex with some valuable international race experience and he’s certainly looking forward to the challenge.

He’s also looking forward to the two weeks after the championships.

“The championships are the 11th-13^th August,” he said. “After that we don’t have to be back in training until 28^th August, Abbie and I are going on holiday to Portugal.”

That’s a very good choice of holiday destination, of course, but Paris is even better!