One of Hannah Miley’s favourite idiom’s is: “If you do what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you’ve always got.”
It’s why, in the aftermath of last summer’s Olympic Games, the 27-year-old decided to leave her tried-and-trusted training base in her home town of Inverurie and move to Aberdeen.
It was quite a step for Miley. She had morphed from a kid learning to swim into European and double Commonwealth champion in her home pool in Garioch, as well as a three-time Olympian. So, to make such a drastic change so late in her career could be viewed as a significant risk.
That is not how Miley viewed her move, however.
After finishing in fourth place in the 400m individual medley in Rio, agonisingly close to an Olympic medal which she so covets, she decided that she could not end her career without trying something different.
And different it certainly is.
Miley has moved out of her parents' home and has her own place in Aberdeen while, on the swimming side, she now has the luxury of training in a long-course pool day in, day out rather than the 25m pool she had available to her in Garioch.
So far, so good, though. “I felt that I needed a change because, whenever I do hang up my goggles, I want to know that I’ve explored every possible way of making myself a better swimmer,” she explained.
“It’s exciting – change is good and I’m enjoying the independence.
"My body has responded well to the training but very differently because it’s not short-course, which is what I’ve been so used to.
"I’ve had peaks and troughs but overall, it’s been very good and it’s a change that I feel has been a long time coming.”
Miley will get the chance to gauge just how significant an impact her move has had on her performances this week.
The British Championships begin in Sheffield tomorrow and, as they double as the trials for the British team for the World Championships in Budapest later this summer, they are of prime importance.
Miley is partaking in her usual heavy championship schedule – she is competing in six events over the six days – and she is, she says, feeling confident.
However, the fact she is competing at all may come as something of a surprise to some casual observers. After her devastating disappointment in Rio of being pipped for a medal in the last few metres of the 400m individual medley, there were some who expected the Commonwealth champion to call time on her distinguished career.
However, eight months after the curtain came down on the Rio Games, Miley reveals that retirement was never in her thoughts and, in fact, she already has her sights set on reaching a fourth Olympic Games in Tokyo in three years time.
“When I finished the Games in Rio, I knew I wasn’t done,” she said. “I really wanted to be on the team for this summer’s World Championships and the Commonwealth Games next year and I do believe that Tokyo is a realistic target. I happen to be one of the oldest swimmers in Britain who’s still competing but in other countries, there’s plenty of swimmers who are my age or older.”
Miley’s body is still holding up to the rigours of daily training but even more importantly, her hunger is still as strong as ever.
“I definitely still have the drive and the motivation and I still want to put myself out there competitively,” she said. “It took until after Rio for me to think about why I’m not retiring and I realised that the answer wasn’t because I have to continue or that I need to continue, it’s because I genuinely want to continue.
"I still enjoy the sport and that’s why I can still get up at 4:30am and can still put my body through torture. I think I’ve found a new love for the sport, more so that I ever have.
"After Rio, I did stop and think because being successful in sport is incredibly challenging and demanding- for the amount of hard work that goes into it, the success rate is so low. Rio was part of my story but deep down, I just know that I’m not finished- I know that I’ve got more to give.”
What is most encouraging for Miley is that she believes she can improve her performances further and that adding to her already impressive medal tally remains eminently possible.
If she were to successfully defend her Commonwealth title for a second time in Gold Coast next year, it will be an historic achievement. And as long as she safely makes the GB team for July’s World Championships, a third global medal to add to her silver and bronze is also in her sights.
“I’m excited about the next few years,” she said. “Defending my Commonwealth title again is a real challenge but also a very big opportunity.
"I do think that winning medals is still possible for me- I can’t control what my competitors do but every time I get in the pool, it’s to try to be the very best I can possibly be.”
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