Before the Commonwealth Games this summer Scottish star Michael Jamieson stated that winning Commonwealth gold on home soil may mean more to him than the Olympics,“The Olympics is the pinnacle of our sport and it was always my target. But, as soon as Glasgow was announced, I started thinking about both Games on a day-to-day basis,” Jamieson told Mark Wilson of the Daily Mail.
“As much as I enjoyed London, Glasgow could be even bigger for me. For different reasons.”
“I’m so keen to make the most of this chance because it’s easy for people to say the Olympics was once in a lifetime. People get bored reading that but it’s hard to put it any other way.”
“And Glasgow is like that, even more so for me. It’s what I wanted to do when I was a kid.”
Unfortunately Jamieson was not able to realize his childhood dream finishing second to fellow Scot Ross Murdoch in the 200 breaststroke, “I didn’t swim the way I’d wanted to,” Jamieson told British Gas SwimBritain.
“I was honest,” he said. “I only spoke about what my targets were. I didn’t come out and say ‘this is what I’m going to do’. I just said ‘this is what I’m hoping for’.”
“I’d hope that is noted, because I’m not the kind of athlete that comes out and says ‘I’m going to win this’.”
“The time I had in my head that I was going for was realistic, based on my previous personal best. I just wanted to improve and I wasn’t able to do it.”
Jamieson has a lifetime best in the 200 breaststroke of 2:07.43, which he posted at the 2012 Olympics, ultimately collecting the silver. In Glasgow he recorded a 2:08.43 while Murdoch took the event in a time of 2:07.30.
“He (Murdoch) deserved to win,” Jamieson added. “He swam really well, posted a world-class time.”
Despite his defeat Jamieson stated that the Games were a huge success for Scotland, “The event itself was a real success,” Jamieson, an ambassador for the British Gas SwimBritain events, said. “It was great for the city, it was great for Scotland.
Jamieson will now set his sights on success in Rio, “It’s natural to be disappointed after a result like I had,” he said. “In sport it’s just about trying again. There’s no other option. That’s what I’m going to try to do.”