Coach Willie Elaisa and Hansel McCaig after his final training session this morning before he departs for Qatar.

20-year-old Hansel McCaig is gunning for Olympic Games qualification when he competes in the World Aquatics Championships in Doha, Qatar next week.

The third-year mechanical engineering student at the University of the South Pacific says he is confident of improving his personal best times in the 50-meter freestyle event to earn a ticket to the Paris Olympics in July.

“My personal best currently stands at 23.2 seconds and I need to hit 21.97 seconds. I have swum 22.4 seconds in the relay in the Solomons and I’m working on swimming a 22.4 or closer at this World Championships. We still have six months out for the Olympics as these world champs will be used as a stepping stone to the Olympics.”

McCaig won Fiji’s first gold medal at the Pacific Games last year and says he understands the mammoth task that lies ahead of him in racing against some of the best swimmers in the world.

He will leave tomorrow morning for the 20-hour flight to Qatar for the World Championships, which begins on Monday.

McCaig will compete alongside 16-year-old Kelera Mudunasoko of Nadi and the pair will be guided by coach Willie Elaisa.