Meagen Nay has told the Australian Associated Press that she is "a stronger person and probably a bit hungrier in the pool" after her brother died in a car crash last July, forcing her to abandon the world championships and return home.
Nay, 21, heard news of the death of her older brother Amos on the eve of racing in Rome. She braved the 4x100m freestyle relay before flying home, an effort that earned her a bronze medal.
The tragedy was all the more bitter for the fact that Nay had also lost her father, Robert Nay, a 1972 Munich Olympian, in a car accident when she was just 5 years old.
Nay thought she might never make it back to the pool in the wake of events last summer but next week she will race at Aussie trials for the Commonwealth Games, her main targets 200m free and back.
She told AAP: "I'm not going to lie, I honestly thought about giving it away. Just mentally it was very challenging, but thanks to my family, and my coach Michael Bohl ... the support was amazing. It's made me a stronger person and probably a bit hungrier in the pool. It's very disappointing what happened in Rome and something that I'll never forget.
"But together as a family we've kind of been getting stronger and I think that it's kind of driving me at the moment."
She added: "I'm looking forward to the future and doing something in swimming and be remembered in swimming not just for what has happened. I kind of want to portray that kind of image and make my dad and my brother proud."
Asked about the move back to textile suits, she said: "You don't really have anywhere to hide now, you don't have the suit to rely on. If you've worked hard in and out of the water, you'll benefit from it, but it will be interesting to say the least."
