The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Bigger not always best, says tough Scot Miley
OLYMPICS: Swimmer aims to prove her doubters wrong by winning medal in Rio
Hannah Miley is heading to her third Olympic Games as a medal contender in one of the most gruelling events in the swimming pool.
Her chosen event is the 400m individual medley, two lengths of each stroke, which requires stamina, skill and iron will. All of which she has in abundance, despite being just 5ft 5in and 8st 4lb.
“Nobody expects somebody that’s my height, my size to be really good,” she told Press Association Sport
“Everyone expects the bigger, the better, the tallest and strongest are going to get through. For me, ‘no, I like to prove you wrong’.
“I like doing things in the most awkward or most complicated way, just to be different.
“I do get a bit of a kick out of hard graft and being able to know you’ve put in a tough training session and think ‘not many people in the world have just done what I’ve just done’ and I’m spewing at the end of the set.
“The tough events, not many people want to do them, so it’s an opportunity.”
The two-time Commonwealth champion was sixth in Beijing and fifth in London.
She was so focused on the outcome at last year’s World Championships in Kazan, Russia, that she hit a “dark place” when she finished fourth, one place off the podium.
Miley said: “The Olympic medal is that one medal that has eluded me, (but) I don’t want to focus on the medals.
“Last year at the World Championships I was focusing so much on being on that podium that when it didn’t happen, it really hit me hard,” she said.
“This year I still want to be able to enjoy it. I’ve put so many hours in, I’ve put so much hard work into it, that it’s a shame to throw it away, regardless of what the outcome is. I’ve enjoyed my journey. The road that I’ve been on has been pretty special.”
The 26-year-old’s journey includes being coached by her father Patrick, a former helicopter pilot, and training in a four-lane, 25m swimming pool in Inverurie.
She now trains in a 50m pool in Aberdeen, and recognises that enjoyment is a key reason why she is going to Rio.
She added: “Going into Rio I want to be the best prepared, I want to know that I’ve left no stone unturned and I want to make sure I put in the best performance I possibly can.
“I can’t control my competitors around me; all I can do is my best. I know sometimes that phrase can irritate some people, because ‘we want medals’.
“I’ve just got to make sure I hold my nerve and give it my all.”