Katie Shanahan feared her Olympic dream was over when she was diagnosed with glandular fever.

The 20-year-old did enough to secure Games qualification at the Trials in April, but the first part of her year was characterised by fatigue and ill health.

After undergoing blood tests, she was diagnosed with glandular fever and having seen GB team-mates Freya Anderson and Emily Large suffer at the hands of the infection, Shanahan saw her Games ambition flash before her eyes.

“Since about January, I hadn’t been myself and didn’t race as well as I would have wanted to at Trials,” revealed Shanahan.

“I wasn’t really sure why I wasn’t where I needed to be. When I got the blood tests through, it kind of made sense.

“I didn’t know what to think, to be honest, but part of me went, ‘oh God, this could be it, I might not be able to go to the Olympics.’”

Shanahan, who is based at the University of Stirling under Steven Tigg, was out of the water for a fortnight but shook off symptoms at speed. In June, she got back up and running with a solid performance in the 400m individual medley at the Scottish National Open Championships.

“Freya and Emily suffered really, really badly and I think I feared the worst having seen their experience,” said Shanahan. “The thing with glandular fever is that it affects people very, very differently and I was just very lucky that I was one of the ones that it didn’t affect too badly.

“I’m just so lucky that I have the support system around me to help me through it all and it’s just been really good having them in my corner. I’m back to full fitness, which is really good, just in time for the Olympics!”

Shanahan has entered in the 400m medley and 200m backstroke at her debut Games, starting her campaign in the heats of the former on Monday at La Defense Arena.

She proved her potential by finishing fourth in the 200m backstroke at last year’s World Championships, missing the podium in Fukuoka by less than a second, as well as making the 400m medley final.

With physical issues in the rear view, Shanahan is setting her sights high in Paris.

“This could be the thing that gives my body a reset and now I’m back to normal and feeling like I’m in a new body,” she said. “I’m really, really looking forward to racing in Paris.

“I think I have done some really, really good sets and prior to getting unwell, I had a really good block. I know I have all that good training behind me and I’m looking forward to starting and getting to race.

“There is really no pressure, no expectations on me since I have been ill so it kind of makes me enjoy it a bit more, knowing that I have not got anything to lose.”

Shanahan’s support network will include ALDI, who have been the Official Supermarket of Team GB since 2015. Already one of Team GB’s longest-serving partners, this partnership has now been extended to 17 years until 2032, reaffirming Aldi’s multi-million-pound investment in both Team GB and its athletes.

Shanahan will feature in some hotly anticipated events with Canadian sensation Summer McIntosh primed for glory in the medley and USA's Regan Smith set for a titanic battle with Kaylee McKeown of Australia in the backstroke.

"It's so good to be part of those races and compete against girls that are so strong," said the Scot.

"With someone like Summer, she is so dominant and there's no way anyone is beating her. At one stage, some of the women's events dropped off and the focus went to the men's events, but that has changed now, and these are the most enjoyable races to watch.

"We have five or six girls in there who can win and to even make it to the final is going to be so hard."

Aldi are proud Official Partners of Team GB & ParalympicsGB, supporting all athletes through to Paris 2024