IT may be 11 months later than he would have liked but last night, at the Scottish National Championships, Michael Jamieson beat Ross Murdoch in the 200m breaststroke.
It was the Commonwealth Games last summer in which Jamieson really craved victory but the most encouraging aspect of Jamieson's performance in becoming Scottish champion was not the victory, but rather the signs that he is close to regaining the form and, more importantly, the mindset that took him to Olympic silver three years ago.
The 26-year-old won in 2 minutes 12.16 seconds last night at Tollcross International Swimming Centre and while he admits that he would have liked to have gone slightly quicker, he was satisfied with his swim.
"That was alright - I've been trying a few things recently like changing my race strategy but really it's just been good to be back enjoying my swimming again," he said. "Over the last month or so, I've swum pretty well and pretty consistently - I've got one more race left, at the French Open next week, and I'd like to get back down to a 2 minutes 10 seconds there."
It is hard to overstate just how crushing Jamieson's Commonwealth Games loss must have been for him but in the aftermath, the Bath swimmer did something that athletes rarely do - he spoke openly, and eloquently, about his devastation and his struggle to recover from the defeat. Jamieson's loss of form was significant - for the first time since 2009, he missed out on selection for a major championship when he failed to qualify for the World Championships in Kazan next month.
"It took me far longer than it should have to get over last summer but it's all done and dusted now," he said, before admitting that he feels that he has turned a corner in the last six weeks. "I've had a pretty horrible year and I just wasn't enjoying my swimming. I decided that if I was going to come back, it was for the Olympics and everything is geared towards that now. I wouldn't be carrying on if I didn't think I could be in the mix next year [in Rio]. I know I'm still capable of swimming times that can challenge for podium places but over and above that, I'm just so grateful to be back enjoying my swimming."
Murdoch may have been on the second step of the podium last night, finishing in 2 minutes 13.01 seconds, but he was far from disheartened. The 21 year-old is a rising star in Scottish sport, possessing just the right combination of talent, confidence and humility to suggest that he has all the makings of a superstar.
"I'm happy with that. I would have loved to have dipped under 2:13 but it didn't happen, so now I'm fully focusing on the World Championships [next month]," he said, before admitting that he has bulked up recently. "I've been training really hard this year. This season is all geared towards the Olympics. But I'm still really focused on getting onto the podium in the 100m breaststroke at the Worlds and also in the relay so I'm hoping to come away with a couple of medals."
There is no two ways about it, Glasgow 2014 changed Murdoch's life. Overnight, the University of Stirling swimmer went from being an unknown outside of his sport, to being a household name. He now has all the pressure of being the favourite upon his young shoulders.
"It's great to be back in this pool. I still get goosebumps thinking about that night last summer and I can still remember standing up on that podium crying my eyes out," he said. "I don't feel any different to last year but obviously there's more expectation on me from other people now. That doesn't bother me though, I like getting a bit of attention and I love having pressure on me. This last year has been really exciting - the Commonwealth Games were the highlight of my career and it's going to be hard to top that, but that's a pretty nice problem to have."
Elsewhere, Commonwealth bronze medallist Corrie Scott won the 100m breaststroke and Stephen Milne won his third medal of the championships when he took silver in the 400m freestyle. Today's highlight is the 100m breaststroke as Jamieson attempts to add to last night's gold medal; it will be no easy task though, he is up against the world record holder, Englishman Adam Peaty.
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