TOMORROW afternoon, Guy Learmonth will plug in his earphones and relax to Bob Marley: No Woman No Cry.

It is part of a well-rehearsed routine. He will do this an hour or so before he runs the 800 metres for Scotland in the Sainsbury International against Germany, France and Great Britain at the Emirates.

"I keep the music calm at first, then gradually increase the tempo," he says. "For my warm-up I build in rap and hip-hop. The tempo and pace of songs increases and makes my heartbeat faster . . . always the same songs in the same order. I finish with 2Pak - Hit 'Em Up is one of my favourites to get me going, and then Eminem - Stronger Than I Was. I love that song. I have chosen them all carefully."

Learmonth is making his first appearance in Scotland's colours since the Commonwealth final at Hampden. He was just 0.66 of a second away from bronze and admits the result surpassed most people's expectations. "But not ours," say his joint coaches, Henry Gray and George Gandy.

Gray is a sports centre manager at Eyemouth, while Gandy is head endurance coach at Loughborough University from which Learmonth has recently graduated with a 2-1 in sports management and marketing.

He is 22, from Berwick, and now in his first senior season. He already holds the Scottish indoor best at 600 metres, after winning at last year's Emirates International, the Scottish indoor under-20 800m record and also ranks third all-time at 800m indoor behind Tom McKean and Brian Whittle.

"I have my eyes now on Tom McKean's national record [1:46.22]," he says. "I don't want to get carried away, but to take the records of legends like McKean and Seb Coe would be very encouraging - a real honour.

"My mindset has changed since the Commonwealths. I've always been very serious about my athletics, very self-motivated. But there is a difference in self-belief in domestic races and age-group stuff when you are up against the best in the world on the European circuit, and the likes of David Rudisha and Nijel Amos [world record-holder and Commonwealth champion, respectively]. It has proved to me that I can compete with them.

"I was little more than half a second off a medal in Glasgow and I am working hard on half seconds: every inch in training, every extra repetition. I am really committing myself. Not just on the track, but being disciplined with my diet, social life, everything. I've sacrificed even more in my lifestyle - missed lots of birthday parties, weddings, nightlife. There were times when I've gone out when I shouldn't, but not recently.

"It's not that I eat bad food, but after training I make sure I eat the right stuff, don't snack on Oreo biscuits. As much as I love Oreo biscuits I'd love an Olympic medal more. I have completely cut out fatty foods and processed foods and work with the nutritionist at the Scottish Institute of Sport.

"At uni I was getting by on five hours' sleep. Now I have graduated I don't have that burden and can really focus on a good night's kip, and recover properly between sessions.

"I was ecstatic with my exam results. My dad always said to get the pieces of paper in the bank and then chase my dreams."

Now he is doing just that. "I want to take it to the next level. Sixth in the Hampden final with a personal best was great, but I want to bring home medals for Scotland and Great Britain. I have big ambitions and big goals, and I'm doing everything possible to give myself the chance of reaching them.

"My first goal is the European Indoor Championships in Prague, in March, so I need to peak for the British trials. The other is the world outdoors in Beijing. I've signed a two-year deal with New Balance, so it's my job.

"I felt at home in the Commonwealths - even racing Rudisha and Amos - and that's made me more hungry. I made a breakthrough last year but I need some major medals to my name, and some really quick times. I am ready to take on the rest of the world now though it will be be a long process to get into world finals."

He discounted a US collegiate scholarship "but I might go there to train".

Stock market investments, he says, "mean I could afford it, but with four years' study out of the way, I am looking forward to a season without external distractions, work, or assignments."

He is also considering training in South Africa with Commonwealth champion Amos and Hampden bronze medallist Andre Olivier. "I've been on the circuit with Andre and formed a good friendship. If not this season, definitely next. I would love to train with the best athletes in the world. Life is short and your athletics career is even shorter. You have to do it while you can."

Learmonth was just over a second outside Coe's UK under-23 best last year and might even have claimed it in the right race. Gandy, who coached Coe from the age of 19 to 25, reckons Learmonth has the potential to be one of Britain's greatest 800m runners.

"I don't like saying somebody is going to run 1:43 when he has not done 1:45 yet but Guy's Commonwealth performance shows he can run considerably faster," says Gandy. "It came after he'd run 1:47 on each of the previous two days. That was significant, but I prefer to think in small steps. If he can get down to 1:45 we can begin to think of making an impact in the Olympics."

Gray, who has also coached international swimmers, also mentors 16-year-old New Year Sprint winner Cameron Tindal, who makes his Scotland debut today at 60m. Gray believes Learmonth "is the type of quality of Coe, Ovett, Elliott, Cram and McKean".

He and Learmonth are just back from two weeks' in Tenerife, where sessions showed Guy has "moved on significantly from a year ago".

Tomorrow he is up against Robin Schembera of Germany and France's Paul Renaudie, both of them with faster best times than the Scot. But Learmonth is stronger than he was.