It was a rip-roaring, triumphant bellow that Alex Salmond might have been tempted to unleash over the summer, although the sight of the former First Minister in his Speedos may not have gone down too well in the run-up to a referendum.

But when Dan Wallace powered his way to gold for Team Scotland in the 400m individual medley at the Commonwealth Games, his spontaneous shriek of "For Freedom", accompanied by the kind of thunderous slap of the water that used to be the preserve of Poseidon, it became one of the enduring moments of the Glasgow showpiece.

It was a raw, jubilant outpouring from a young man who, by his own admission, had experienced something of a rollercoaster year. It has been four months since Wallace was last on Scottish soil, but on Friday, he touched down in his homeland from university in Florida and did the things the every gold medal-winning athlete does after a long-haul flight.

"I went to see my gran," said the 21-year-old, who also took silver in the 200m individual medley while helping Scotland to a team silver in the 4x200m freestyle relay. After attending to family affairs, it will be back to business next weekend for Wallace when he lines up alongside a number of other star attractions in the Scottish Gas National Short Course Championship in his home city of Edinburgh.

The feel-good factor of Glasgow continues to linger, of course, but Wallace knows that in this sport of fine margins, he can ill afford to rest on his laurels.

"It will always be a memory that I will cherish and something that will be a highlight of my swimming career but you have to forget about the Games and move on," said Wallace, who is already eyeing an assault on the World Championships in Russia next year. "There have been occasions in America over the past couple of months where I've looked back on that two weeks and it's really lifted me up to keep training and keep improving.

"I went to the Worlds for the first time in 2013 but it was more like an experience for me. If I get there next year, I won't be going just to take it all in, I'll be going to challenge and get the medals. Once you get the taste of success, you want more. I'd never won at such a high level before and the self-belief soars. Any opportunity I get to shine in the spotlight, I'll be determined to make the most of it. The summer was a dream come true. It was the fairy-tale ending really, not just for me but for everyone that was part of Team Scotland. It couldn't have worked out better and it showed how hard everybody had worked."

It was the dream that could have become a nightmare after the Scot was arrested in Florida in May having been caught performing a different form of water sport. Urinating on a police car, an incident well-documented at the time and one which threatened his Commonwealth Games ambitions, was not one of his finer moments but Wallace found redemption in Glasgow.

"It was a bit of a rollercoaster year," he admitted. "And I learned the hard way. But I came out on top and I became a stronger person and a better athlete because of it. The reception I got when I went back to the States was great. I'd let my team and my coaches down [with the police incident] but they did appreciate just how big a thing the Games was for me."

From the triumph of Tollcross, Wallace, and the rest of the Team Scotland dookers like Ross Murdoch (should he recover from a virus), Michael Jamieson and Hannah Miley, will surely be afforded a rousing reception at the Royal Commonwealth Pool this week.

"The 400m individual medley final is on the Sunday night and that may cause a problem," said Wallace. "I've been invited to the Sports Personality of the Year awards in Glasgow."

These are the things successful sportsmen have to do......after they have visited their granny, of course.

o Scottish Gas National Short Course Championships 2014, Friday until December 14, Royal Commonwealth Pool, Edinburgh. Tickets from £3. See www.scottishswimming.com for further details