Liam Tancock, world champion over 50m backstroke in Rome, will race at speed for the first time since the big moment back in July when he represents Loughborough University at the British University champs in Sheffield next week.
"I want to be there for the College and the University," he told the local Loughborough Echo. "We have the best coaches and facilities here and they are playing a real part in the revival of British swimming. I don't know which events I'll be taking part in - that is up to the coach. I don't mind going outside my usual events if it means helping the team."
To make the meet in Sheffield, Tancock will fly from the world cup round in Stockholm midweek next week and miss a potential showdown with German rivals at the Berlin stage of the cup over the weekend.
Tancock, guided by Britain head coach Ben Titley, talked to the paper of his conviction that recent gains made by Britain in the race pool will lead to good returns at a home Olympic Games in London as young talents rises to the occasion. "When I was coming up through the age group levels we were at a very low ebb nationally and I remember how that feels," he said. "But now we have the benefit of the best coaches and support and a group of very talented swimmers developing together. It's great to be part of this era in British swimming and I'm confident we can ride the wave now all the way to 2012."
Tancock has been studying sport science at Loughborough College since 2003. "My course is taking a while to finish as it has to work around the swimming but the college have been really good in accommodating for that," he said. "The [National] Lottery funding helps with my general costs so I'm able to train twice a day with only Sunday's off"
The British National Lottery started to provide major benefits and funding for sport in the wake of a passionate post-Olympic silver speech given by Paul Palmer in 1996. After finishing second to Kiwi Danyon Loader in the 400m freestyle, Palmer noted that he and his coach Ian Turner had got to where they were with no help from his government. He often trained in a four-lane 25-yard pool. His case was cited by then Prime Minister John Major when Lottery funding was directed at sport in Britain. Since then, more than £23 billion has been raised for Good Causes in Britain through the lottery.
Meanwhile, Turner went on to be head Britain coach and head coach at Loughborough but is now based in New Zealand. He will face his former charges in Kiwi colours perhaps on the deck at the at the Commonwealth Games in Delhi in October, 2010. Turner is used to supporting swimmers in whatever colour they may race in. Last time round at the Games in Melbourne in 2006, he celebrated England victories alongside those of Scottish internationals trained by him and his fellow coaches for the main part in Loughborough.
Among them was Tancock's girlfriend Caitlin McClatchey, who won the 200m and 400m free crowns in 2006 for Scotland. This time round, she will face the might of England's Rebecca Adlington and Joanne Jackson. Tancock will be waving the cross of St George but his sport for the Cross of St Andrew may be just as passionate at certain moments.
Truth be known, the divided teams of Britain are intrinsically linked in friendship and support. McClatchey trains on a daily basis with Jackson under the guidance of coach Kevin Renshaw at Loughborough.
"I'm a slightly built swimmer in comparison [to Adlington and Jackson] but I changed coaches last year to join Kevin Renshaw and that has changed my training around a little bit," McClatchey told the Loughborough Echo. "It's quite different to what I used to do and sometimes it can take years to completely adapt to a new training programme but I have settled in well. I now do a lot of aerobic-based work whereas before it used to be a lot of sprint work. I train with David Davies and Jo Jackson - it's a great group - so I do a lot of distance work with them."
Back in Rome in July in Brit colours, McClatchey Adlington, Jackson and Jazmin Carlin won bronze in the 4x200m free. The time on the clock reflected the suits on their skins but in textile-only 2010, the quartet, and the support team alongside them, are expected to be among teams gunning for gold at the European Championships in Budapest in July 2010 if that meet remains a target for the 2012 Olympic hosts.
"I'm really focusing on the Commonwealth Games but 2012 is in the back of everyone's minds," said McClatchey. "It's the big one - lots of people want to be there and be a part of it. All the things we do now are stepping stones towards London and every training session counts. Although we're doing all these big meets like the worlds and Commonwealth Games, it's all building towards the Olympic Games."
