A TEENAGE sportsman trains in the pool every day of the week in a bid to reach his dream of competing at his chosen sport’s top level.

Adam Woods’ all-round sporting talents see him compete on the athletics field, rugby pitch and in the swimming pool.

The 13-year-old, from Kirk Merrington, near Spennymoor, County Durham, represents his school on several teams including athletics, in shot putt and discus, and he has recently started playing rugby.

But it is in the water that he excels and aims to play professional water polo and reach the Olympic and Commonwealth Games.

He started playing for Sedgefield Water Polo Club when he was nine and under the guidance of coach George Carpenter has risen through the junior ranks.

In 2007, he was the club’s under 14’s player of the year and the following year it named him best overall player.

Adam now trains at least 12 hours a week, regularly travels to Lancaster to play for its youth squad and is in the GB training programme.

In April, he completed a 7km swim in an hour and 50 minutes and hopes to beat that time this Sunday in aid of the Sedgefield club and children’s charity the NSPCC.

He said: “I’m proud of what I do and hope to play for the national team, one day professionally and in the Olympics.”

Alasdair Steel, head of year eight at Spennymoor School where Adam is a pupil, said: “He is a naturally gifted all-round sportsman and puts in a lot of time and effort. His is an outstanding performance in a more unusual sport and we are very proud of him at the school.