NO matter what Ross Murdoch goes on to achieve in his swimming career in the years ahead, topping his experience at Glasgow 2014 will prove a difficult, if not impossible, task.

The dimple-cheeked, 20-year-old from Balfron provided one of the shocks, arguably the shock, of the entire Commonwealth Games when he took the gold medal in the 200 metres breaststroke.

The majority of the focus in the build-up to the games had been centred on his Scotland team-mate and Olympic silver medallist in the event, Michael Jamieson. The Glasgow man's face and physique had adorned posters across his home city. He featured on the front of the official magazine.

However, Murdoch - one of the athletes the Sunday Herald has been following for more than a year - did not read the script. He qualified for the final in the fastest time and then left his celebrated countryman, who he had never before beaten in competition at 200m, trailing in his slipstream in the lane outside him by more than a second.

The time of two minutes and 7.30 seconds that he recorded in front of hundreds of his jubilant compatriots and a television audience of millions was both a British and a Commonwealth record.

Not surprisingly, the disbelieving winner was moved to tears as he stood on the podium, listening to the strains of Flower of Scotland and proudly watching the Saltire being raised aloft.

It is an occasion that will live long in the memory of anyone fortunate enough to have been in the Tollcross International Swimming Centre and is one of the defining moments of the Games. Murdoch will certainly never forget a moment of it.

Yet, the University of Stirling swimmer is determined that it will be just one of many highlights in his career. Already, he is planning ahead and his ambitions are lofty. As he reflected on his accomplishments, he spoke of dominating his sport for years to come, of breaking world records and, ultimately, of winning gold at the Olympic Games in Brazil in 2016.

"I respect athletes like Sir Chris Hoy who have spent a long, long time at the top of their sports," he said. "I would love to be in that bracket of being in the top three in the world for the next six to eight years."

Challenging the peerless Daniel Gyurta of Hungary, who won the 200m breaststroke in a world-record time of two minutes 7.28 seconds in the Olympic Games in London two years ago, is also an objective.

"I think he [Gyurta] would definitely be the next target for me," said Murdoch. "He's consistently the best in the world and has been since 2010. He has come out on top every season, posting the fastest times.

"This season hasn't been so great for him. I think he's been injured. So, unfortunately, I won't get to race him this season. But hopefully next season and the one after that I'll get to pick up on that."

Murdoch will never again enjoy the low profile - relative, at least, to that of Jamieson - that he had entering Glasgow 2014. You sense, however, that being in the public eye will not faze him. If anything, he will revel in the spotlight.

"It's always good being the underdog, having people not expect too much of you," he said. "When you're in the media a lot there's an added pressure. But, to be honest, I welcome the attention with open arms. I think I cope well under that pressure. There was pressure from social media after the heats in the 200m, and then from the 200m into the 100m.

"Questions were asked about whether I could get another medal. I felt it a little, but I just upped my game [he won a bronze in the 100m breaststroke final]. I think it just brings out the best in me."

Murdoch fully expects Jamieson, whose preparations had been blighted by injury, to respond positively to his disappointment and emerge as an even stronger competitor as a result.

"He's had a tough couple of seasons with injury and other things," he said. "But he still did well. To get silver at a Commonwealth Games is no easy feat. The top eight in that field are possibly the top eight in the world. I don't think anyone can knock it.

"He will be more hungry than ever to get back to the pool and prove himself again. You have to chase the top. That's still what I'm going to do. There are other people out there faster than me still. You have to look at the wider picture, look at the best in the world and see what you're capable of."

Murdoch's dedication to his sport suggests he will not be sidetracked by fame or fortune - and some lucrative endorsements are sure to come his way.

Despite his friends being flush after backing him to triumph at decent odds of 12-1 and more than willing to repay him by stumping up for a round, he did not hit the town to celebrate.

"I'll maybe relax for one night," he said. "But there's bigger and better things ahead. I'll have years to party once I've finished swimming.

"A couple of years ago, the Commonwealth Games was it for me. It was the big dream. But I think I've moved on and hopefully have bigger and better things on the horizon.

"Rio is now the dream for me. I want to do what I've done here in Rio and prove myself on that level. What I want to be is a sporting hero, a guy who inspires the next generation of swimmers and shows we can perform on the international stage.

"The Olympics will just be about getting in there and swimming my best on the day. It's two years away, a lot can happen. I haven't set targets yet, but I'll sit down with Ben Higson, my coach, and we'll come up with some goals.

"I will take a couple of days off to collect my thoughts and come down to earth and then figure out what we have to do next. But the journey isn't over yet."