Hannah Miley, Scotland's top female swimmer, has recommended staging more events in Glasgow like the weekend's Duel in the Pool between the European All Stars and the USA.
Over a fiercely competitive two days, the 24-year-old Commonwealth and European gold medallist managed to contribute to her team's tally by claiming third place in Saturday's 200 metres individual medley after finishing fourth in the 400m individual medley and sixth in the 200m breaststroke on Friday. However she made it clear that even had she failed to register it would have been far from a pointless experience given the quality of the event itself and, while she acknowledged the complexity involved in getting the top performers together, she could see significant benefits in trying to. "The organisation behind it must have been quite spectacular and difficult because they pulled off such an amazing job," she said following the event which ended with a narrow American win in the tie-breaker race off after the teams finished level on 131 match points.
"I've never known it to be like this. The last time I did it [a Duel in the Pool] was in 2009 and I thought that was pretty spectacular, but this has topped it.
"I don't know whether I'm being biased because I'm Scottish, but we did such an amazing job and, if we were able to do it more, it really would push us to just swim out of our skin mid-season."
In terms of this event itself, her current form and looking towards next year's Commonwealth Games, Miley drew huge inspiration from the experience of swimming in front of a noisy and partisan crowd. "It makes you push that little bit more when you're tired, when you're fatigued and you can do some incredible times," she said.
"The 200 medley I've not been under 2.10 all season. I've been in such a big hole in my training and racing as well so to come out with a 2.08 . . . I had no idea that was the time. It didn't feel like a 2.08 but the crowd pushed me, the race pushed me and the whole event really helped push me to that time. Walking out, seeing the crowd, feeling the buzz and hearing how loud they were it just makes you smile. It lifts you and makes you stand tall. It makes you feel proud to be Scottish and to know the home crowd are there really does make a difference in your race.
"I'm buzzed, it's kind of weird. It's incredible, I never expected it to be that close to the Americans on the points. It's just amazing."
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