No, this isn’t another article about Andy Murray, but rather the 22-year-old Glaswegian, Michael Jamieson, who is making a king-sized splash in swimming.
These days, flashbulbs pop wherever Murray travels, yet his compatriot can still stroll down Sauchiehall Street without eliciting a second glance.
Corporate backing is also thin on the ground for Jamieson, who surged to the gold medal in the 200m breaststroke at the Scottish Championships last Friday, and he will venture to China for the World Championships in Shanghai next week with realistic prospects of podium finishes.
But he has had to accept that, outwith Olympic and Commonwealth Games years, his sport isn’t exactly high-profile.
“It’s difficult to entice sponsors yourself, so I am now working with Red Sky and I am hopeful that something will come up soon,” he says with a pragmatic air. “After all, I’m not sure how many more miles my old Clio has left in its legs.”
The annoying aspect of this anonymity is that Scottish swimming has rarely been in a healthier state, with Jamieson, Hannah Miley, David Carry and Robbie Renwick among the world’s best in their chosen disciplines. And, even now, more than a year before the London Olympics, the anticipation in Jamieson’s voice as he discusses what should be a halcyon period in his life is almost palpable.
“Not a day goes by without someone in the squad mentioning the next Olympics, and this is an amazing time to be involved with the sport, because there is a constant air of excitement at training now and it is definitely adding to my motivation,” said Jamieson, now recovered from a ruptured ankle ligament sustained in March.
“It was a worrying time at first, but I had a great recovery; the physio and medical support at Bath University were fantastic, and I was back in training in less than half the time of the initial prognosis.
“It [London 2012] really is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and I don’t want to miss the boat. Winning a medal next summer would be a life-changing experience -- it’s no longer a dream of mine, but a realistic target and I think that transition has happened in the last 18 months, so I can’t wait.
“As far as the worlds are concerned, the Japanese guys are the ones to beat. They are currently ranked one and two in the world and they boast the greatest breaststroke swimmer of all time, Kosuke Kitajima, a quadruple Olympic champion in Athens and Beijing.
“I have never been to China before, but the pictures from the venue and the hotel look amazing and I am thoroughly looking forward to getting out there. I will be competing in the 100m and 200m [the latter is Jamieson’s main event], and I have set my sights on a medal in Shanghai. It’s going to be extremely tough, but if I want to stand on the top of the podium in London, I know I need to position myself well this season. I have been performing well over the last 18 months and I definitely feel that I am ready to make the necessary drop in my times to challenge for major medals.”
Jamieson has already savoured success on the British and Commonwealth stage and is in a hurry to demonstrate his worth on the global circuit, but he’s not an individual who suffers from tunnel vision.
His preparations for these major events are sufficiently taxing that there hardly seem to be enough hours on the clock to accommodate all the disparate strands of training which are a prerequisite for potential Olympic champions. However, he hasn’t relinquished the notion that swimming isn’t simply an ordeal, but should incorporate elements of old-fashioned fun.
“Hopefully, after the worlds are finished, we will be able to do some sightseeing too,” said Jamieson. “I think it is very important to take advantage of these things when you can, rather than being holed up in the hotel. And the more you enjoy these competitions, the more you want to be involved in the next one, and the one after.”
Jamieson has excelled wherever he has journeyed in his recent battles, and possesses the instinctive joie de vivre of somebody who truly loves their vocation. Time, perhaps, for the business sector to recognise that before, and not after, his heroics in London.
