THE last time Hannah Miley travelled to Australia to compete in the Commonwealth Games, she was a fresh-faced 16 year-old who had yet to make a mark on the international scene. That was in 2006 and almost 12 years later, Miley remains a constant presence in the Scottish team and is on the verge of travelling to her fourth Commonwealth Games, but this time it is in very different circumstances.

Gold Coast 2018 kicks off in just four months and this time around, Miley is the doyenne of Team Scotland and will spend the next few months contemplating the fact that she is on the verge of making history by becoming the first Scottish woman ever to win gold at three consecutive Commonwealth Games having won the 400m individual medley at both Delhi 2010 and Glasgow 2014.

In the intervening years since making her Commonwealth debut, Miley has experienced all of the extreme highs and the acute lows that elite sport inevitably brings but she can still remember those Melbourne Commonwealth Games, which ultimately became Team Scotland’s most successful overseas Games ever helped in no small part by the swimming team’s incredible medal haul, like it was yesterday. “I remember it very, very clearly - it was just incredible,” the 28 year-old said.

“Right from the word go, on day one, we were sitting in the stands supporting – and it was a bit cool, so we’d been given parkas. We sat there all wrapped up and, surprising everyone, Caitlin McClatchey rocks up in and wins the 200m free - when Libby Lenton, the great Australian, was supposed to win it. That was it - we were on our feet, screaming at each other: “Yes! We can do this! It created such a buzz that, every day, we were getting more and more medals, doing so much better than we could ever expect.

“We were quite a small team, in comparison to the Aussies and Team England but that made us feel proud - we might be small but, boy, did we make an impact and we were a force to be reckoned with. To be part of those history-making Games was something very special, something that’s hard to put into words.”

A teenage Miley returned from those Melbourne Games empty-handed in terms of silverware but the belief engendered in the young swimmer as a result of being a part of Team Scotland in 2006 has, in no small part, got her to where she is today, the proud owner of a raft of world and European medals as well as her two Commonwealth titles.

“For me, Melbourne was the turning point, where I decided that this was what I wanted to do as a career so I have Melbourne and the swimmers there to thank for where I am today, really,” the Garioch native said.

“It’s a little bit scary to think I could make history in Gold Coast but it’s really exciting at the same time. I try not to think about it too much because I don’t want to get to the situation where we expect history to be made – and, if I don’t do it, I’ll have missed out on something. The more I talk about it, that adds pressure so yes, it’s there.

“There’s no way of hiding from it and if I am successful, it’s going to be pretty cool. But if it doesn’t go well, no-one can say that I didn’t try everything.”

Miley knows as well as anyone quite how heartbreaking sport can be. While her Commonwealth titles have been two of her extreme highs, her fourth place finish in the final of the 400m IM, missing out on bronze by just 0.15 seconds, was a devastating blow and one that many would have struggled to bounce back from.

Miley is made of sterner stuff than most though, and her Rio disappointment has, in a strange way, given her a new perspective on her sport. “If I’m not successful, I’ve learned from the Rio Olympics that it’s not the end of the world,” she said.

“I make sure that everything I do is to the best of my ability. And then I give some more.

“I genuinely just love being in the water, so I enjoy it regardless of medals and to be honest, I only really figured that out after Rio.

“It is hard to get away from the medal side of things because it is always there and it takes a very special someone to be able to switch that off and just focus on what they do in the pool. I’ve seen a couple of people like that - Robbie Renwick was one of the best, he just got up and raced and nothing fazed him. He could put everything to one side, almost switch off his head and focus solely on what he was doing in the water. That’s a skill that a lot of athletes should develop.”

One thing that has changed for Miley though is that her improvements no longer come in huge leaps, these days the increments are far smaller and her ability to recover quickly has decreased significantly. However, her vast experience has allowed her to adapt to the changes that getting older brings.

“As I get older, I find the big jumps in progressions aren’t as much,” she said. “When you are 12, you can set a 30-second personal best but now, I’m excited if I get within two seconds of my PB. It becomes about marginal games, very finite and particular improvements. And I have to look after my body a lot more, make sure my recovery is really good because my ability to bounce back isn’t what it was.

“When you are young, you just keep going forever - kids just run and run and run and run, have a sleep and then go again whereas as an adult, you run and run, go for a sleep … and then you can’t move for two days! Then you might be able to run again.

“You learn that, yes, you can still do the same work but you have to look after yourself more - I needed to focus on recovery, be that ice baths, compressions, soft-tissue massages, nutrition, just getting the balance right. You have to be very in tune with your body and know what it needs. You can’t be afraid though, because I do push myself to the limit – and try to go beyond that limit. But, when I got beyond it now, I need to make sure I can still pull myself back up and actually survive.

“That’s what I’ve learned. My recovery time takes longer but I’m better at it.”

And perhaps even more importantly, Miley retains the seemingly never-dwindling desire to improve, day in, day out. She is impressively open-minded about making changes to her training regime, including a recent stint in an oxygen tent, which saw her spend hours on end zipped into the confined enclosure.

“The results came back and, while you might not call them all positive, there was a physiological change – a three per cent increase in one of the key factors,” she revealed. “That means my body responds well to altitude, even simulated attitude and that meant my training was really intensive afterwards. To be honest, I think the results would have to be pretty special for me to do it again but I’ve been around the block a few times and know that, if you want something, you have to work at it – no matter how hard it is or how tiring it is.

So focused on performing to her best at the impending Commonwealth Games is Miley, she has put all of her wedding plans on hold. She got engaged to her long-term boyfriend earlier this year but rather than be in any rush to get down the aisle, Miley would rather get the small matter of Gold Coast out of the way before she immerses herself in any dress buying or menu tasting. “The plans for the wedding are on hold until my career in swimming is finished,” she said.

“I want to be able to enjoy the process - I want to visit the venues, plan things – and I don’t want it to impact on my swimming. There’s no time pressure - neither of us are going anywhere. We’ve made a commitment to each other, so we’ll organise it when the time’s right.”