The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Perth swimmer chases individual success in 2018
Perth star hopes to make a splash at Europeans in Glasgow
Perth swimmer Stephen Milne wants to shrug off the tag of relay specialist as he heads into another big year of competition in 2018.
Having won 4x200m freestyle relay silver at last year’s Olympic Games, and then helped Great Britain to defend their world title in the same event earlier this year, Milne has so far only won senior international medals in relay events.
He was also part of the Scottish team that won silver in the Commonwealth Games, but the 23-year-old is targeting progress in his individual events at next year’s major meets.
The Gold Coast Commonwealth Games take place in April, with the European Championships following in August, in Glasgow, and Perth Swimming Club’s Milne is already thinking of competing in front of a home crowd once again.
“The Scottish crowd are awesome and I’m looking forward to hearing them roar again,” said Milne.
“I enjoy representing Scotland and Britain, but it’s nice to have an opportunity where you’re representing Scotland – I think all the home nations would probably think the same.
“It was an amazing experience being at the Commonwealths in Glasgow in 2014, it was my first Games and big international experience in swimming. I have fond memories of it and I’m looking forward to it again.
“Next year it’s the Commonwealths, then the Europeans, and then two years later it will be Tokyo 2020, it all happens so quickly and I hope to make all of those.”
Milne’s main event is the 1,500m freestyle, in which he finished 10th at the Olympic Games, but he also races the 400m and finished 13th in Rio.
But the relays are where he has enjoyed most success, and racing alongside James Guy, Duncan Scott and Nicholas Grainger, to set a new national record and win gold at last month’s World Championships, is something he will never forget.
“It was amazing to be on the podium with those guys - I’ve known them for ages,” he added. “To be able to defend the title at the same time – it felt like history was being made and I was a part of it.”