She has also expressed her ambitions of competing at the World Championships in China next month and ultimately, at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan.

Competing on the final leg of the 2018 tour in Singapore on November 16, Roman, a top US collegiate swimmer at Auburn University, swam in the final of the 100m breaststroke, finishing sixth in 1:07.64 behind compatriot Alia Atkinson who won in the fast 1:02.74.

The next day, November 17, she finished fifth in the 50m breaststroke in 31.41s, the race won by her more seasoned compatriot a quick 28.93s.

Roman, who is about to begin her post-graduate studies said initially she did not consider competing on the tour.

“After I went to Singapore, I wasn’t sure I wanted to do the entire World Cup series ever because it’s so long. You are just continually competing back-to-back-to-back, travelling all the time. It just seemed like it’s really exhausting,” she told SportsMax.TV.

“But after I competed I kind of felt like I wanted to do another one, but I finished and I was like “Oh God, I wished I had started this when there were like five more legs to go’ because I really felt like I wanted to do it all over again.

“So I told Alia and I told her mom that I am looking forward to doing it next year. So, I am currently training in my Virginia with my coach and I plan to do the World Cup series next year.”

However, before she takes on the world’s best short course swimmers in 2019, Roman is considering competing in the 2018 World Swimming Championships set for December 11-16 in Hangzhou, China but that might prove to be a bit of a challenge.

“We’ll see,” she said. “I didn’t exactly make the ‘A’ standard, so we’ll see. If I am in China I will definitely do my best.”

As for Tokyo in 2020, Roman said she has always dreamt about competing at the Olympics and intends to be a member of the Jamaican contingent there.

“I am definitely thinking about the Olympics. All the time. Even after 2016 I was thinking about it and I wasn’t as close as I am now,” she said. “I feel that’s something every swimmer thinks that’s the ultimate goal to go to the Olympics and represent your country.

“So every time in practice I always think about it. I think about how I am going to swim my race, what’s it’s going to be like when I am there, when I am going to qualify for it and how often it’s going to be. I am always thinking about the Olympics.”