AS ways of announcing your arrival on the international stage go, winning two medals at your first ever European Championships at the age of just 18 is not a bad way to do it. That’s exactly what Kathleen Dawson did as she showed herself to be the rising star of Scottish swimming in quite spectacular fashion last month.
The teenager won gold for Great Britain as part of the 4x100m medley team, as well as bronze in the 100m backstroke, and Dawson admits that her medal-winning performances in the London Aquatics Centre still haven’t quite hit home.
“I’m very happy with my performances, I really didn’t expect to do that well and it’s still not sunk in,” she said. “And to hear the commentators on the television discussing my races feels pretty strange. When I was watching it, I was like – that’s me they’re talking about!”
Dawson’s medals were not her only significant achievement in London, though. The teenager made history by becoming the first Scottish woman to break the one-minute barrier in the 100m backstroke when she swam 59.83 seconds in the semi-finals before going even faster in the final, finishing in 59.68 seconds. It is an achievement that Dawson is justifiably proud of.
“It’s surreal to think that I’m the first Scottish woman to have done that,” she said. “I always knew that I could break the minute barrier but to do it in London, in a major championship, was great. It makes me think there’s no reason why I can’t keep improving and maybe get below 59 seconds.”
Dawson is a precocious talent and the fact that she was the youngest member of Scotland’s swimming team at Glasgow 2014 only served to confirm that. But elite sport rarely goes smoothly and this year has not all gone quite to plan for the teenager.
The British Championships in April doubled as the Olympic trials and Dawson did not perform as she had hoped. After breaking her personal best in the heats, Dawson finished a disappointing fifth in the final. It was, she admits, a steep learning curve.
“The British was the one and only chance to qualify for the Olympics so I put a lot of pressure on myself,” she said. “I was really disappointed with the final because that definitely wasn’t anywhere near what I can do. I think it was an important learning experience though and in sport, it’s not all going to be plain sailing – you’ve got to be able to take the disappointments and move on.”
Born in Kirkaldy but now living in Warrington, Dawson is in her final year of school, which means some very early starts to make sure she gets a morning training session in before her classes start. A 4.20am alarm call, coupled with the need to forgo much of the social life that most 18-year-olds are indulging in, would be too much for many teenagers but for Dawson, it is an easy choice.
“I want to say I’m used to the early mornings but some days, I definitely want to just stay in bed,” she laughed.
“To me, it doesn’t feel like I’m giving anything up. Very occasionally, I do feel like I’d rather be going to a party or something but if I want to become a better swimmer, this is what I’ve got to do. How many other kids my age can say that they’ve done what I’ve done?”
Dawson will relocate north of the border this summer when she begins studying at Stirling University and she will join a squad which is currently taking the swimming world by storm. With Ross Murdoch, Robbie Renwick, Craig Benson and Duncan Scott – all of whom are headed to the Olympic Games this summer – as training partners, Dawson knows that being part of such a lauded set-up will be invaluable.
“The main reason I chose Stirling was because the swimming squad is so strong,” she explained. “I’ve been working hand-in-hand with them for the past few years so it makes sense for me to go there. It’ll be really inspirational – they all have a great work ethic and that’s the type of environment I want to be in.”
With Dawson still to reach her peak, she has her sights set on reaching more major championships.
“Gold Coast Commonwealth Games (in 2018) is definitely somewhere I want to be,” she said. “I’ve not thought too much about medals – I think what’s important for me at the moment is just to work hard and try to better myself
.”
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