Back to basics for Hannah as she aims to make a splash in Glasgow

Prior to the Commonwealth Games earlier this year Scottish swimming star Hannah Miley was trying all sorts of new things to help her peak at the right time – but ahead of the European Championships starting in Glasgow this week she has been simply going back to basics.

Before heading out to the Gold Coast in Australia back in April, Miley, 28, explored a number of different ways to gain an advantage over the competition, even going to extreme lengths being cooped up in a tent for 12 hours a day.

For a month she spent 50 percent of each day in an oxygen tent in her Aberdeen flat which helped to simulate being at altitude.

She came back from the trip to the southern hemisphere with a silver medal in the 400m IM.

And, now having been selected by Great Britain for Glasgow 2018, that is the first event in the pool on the opening day of the swimming meet at Tollcross on Friday.

However, this summer there have been no tents in sight and Miley has focused more on the simple things as she aims to make a splash in this competition in which she will also compete in the 200m IM.

“I enjoyed trying different things like the tent earlier this year, but after the Gold Coast I just took a step back and thought ‘let’s get back to basics’,” she said.

“With my coach we set out our training plan right up to these European Championships and really focused on getting the most out of every session and making sure we really kept a close eye on things like nutrition and recovery.

“It has been a bit of a different build-up than before I went to Australia and both have been beneficial and I am really feeling in a good place ahead of this meet.”

Miley and Duncan Scott are among the draw cards in the pool for Scots’ fans during this event and rather than seeing a home crowd as added pressure, she is determined to feed off the atmosphere.

“To be back at a home meet competing for Great Britain this time is just amazing,” Miley stated.

“It has ben a brilliant summer of sport and Scottish fans always love getting out there to live events, so I expect the atmosphere to be really good.

“For me as more of an experienced athlete I will just take that all in because you never know if it will happen again.”

In previous years, Miley has been used to the swimming Euros to be a standalone event, but she is looking forward to the multi-sport element.

As well as swimming, cycling, gymnastics, rowing and triathlon will take place in Glasgow with golf at Gleneagles, diving in Edinburgh and athletics in Berlin.

Miley concluded:  “In any sport you can sometimes get into a bubble, so it is always a pleasure being part of a multi-sport event especially in my own country.”

The European Championships take place from August 2-12 across Glasgow and in Berlin