BRITISH swimming's national performance director Michael Scott played down his contribution after the highly-successful Olympic trials in Sheffield which featured a world record and two new European marks.
A 35-strong team, including ten Scots, was announced after the event at Ponds Forge which witnessed triple world bronze medallist Liam Tancock setting a new world mark in the 50 metres backstroke and Hannah Miley breaking Yana Klochkova's European r
ecord in the 400m individual medley.
There were also nine Commonwealth and 24 British records while Mark Foster qualified for his fifth Olympics.
Scott succeeded fellow Australian Bill Sweetenham last Autumn and was modest about his influence.
Scott said: "When I first arrived I didn't really have any preconceived expectations. I knew where British swimming sat in the thinking of the world of swimming but I have been pleasantly surprised since day one in terms of a whole range of things. The swimmers and the coaches are very talented, very dedicated.
"It has all been set up in the past. I think we are seeing the results of many years of hard work. What has happened over this week has got nothing to do with me."
As well as the efforts of Tancock and Miley, there were notable performances from a number of swimmers who have come through the junior ranks.
Rebecca Adlington, 19, won the 200m, 400m and 800m freestyle – the latter two in Commonwealth record time – Jemma Lowe, who celebrated her 18th birthday during the championships, was a double butterfly champion in record time, 17-year-olds Lizzie Simmonds and Fran Halsall both qualified for the team along with 16-year-old Ellen Gandy and Thomas Haffield stunned himself by becoming Commonwealth 400m individual medley record holder.
Scott admits he is encouraged by this and also the swimmers' response to swimming finals in the morning which they will have to do in Beijing.
"I think about 55 per cent of swimmers who made the team swam faster in the morning for the finals than in the evening heats," added Scott.
"We need to improve that but it's a positive step that the majority are faster in the morning.
"We can't be prescriptive when you have a male swimmer of 38 and a female of 16.
We have to understand the individual needs of the group."
The full article contains 396 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
