James Hickman, who is arguably Britain's current leading swimmer, bailed out when his Stockport Metro coach Dave Calleja missed much of the early part of the season due to illness. But Scotland's Olympic medalist Graeme Smith refused to take such drastic action despite a disheartening run of results.

After a confidence-boosting three-week training camp with the Scottish squad in Florida, the 21-year-old is delighted he stuck by his coach, and is convinced he on course for a summer return to form.

Having watched Hickman, the world short-course butterfly champion, head for the City of Leeds, Falkirk-born Smith loyally insisted: ''I have been with Dave since I started competitive swimming. I would never go anywhere else.

''It was difficult when Dave was ill, but it's fine now and he came out with me to Florida. The training camp was superb and just what I needed.''

Smith's set-backs began when, as defending silver medalist, he was fourth in the 1500m free-style at the European Championships in Seville last summer. He then failed to reach the the world championships final in Australia in January.

Smith's first chance to impress is at the Scottish championships at Glasgow's Tollcross Centre next month when he will bid for Commonwealth Games selection in both 400m and 1500m free-style.

He attributed his European Championship failure to trying to combine swimming with an accountancy degree at Manchester University. ''I was very tired and trying to do both the 400m and 1500m back-to-back at the Europeans proved to be too much.''

At the world championships, he suspects it was the absence of Calleja.

ELSPETH BURNSIDE