Murdoch Not Satisfied With His Successful Summer

21 year old Ross Murdoch had a fantastic summer. Representing Scotland at the Commonwealth Games as a 20 year old he took gold in the 200 breaststroke, setting new games and Commonwealth records. At the same competition he took bronze in the 100 meter breaststroke.

He then went on to the European Championships in Berlin where he took silver in both the 100 and 200 breaststroke events.

He finished the year with his named etched in the Scottish record books for the 50, 100 and 200 breaststroke events.

Murdoch knows that if he wants to have continued success that the summer of 2014 is in the past and there is a lot he must do now to be able to keep improving, “At the time I was over the moon. It was the highest point of my career and I still look back at that and smile. I still get the nerves when I watch back the race even although I know the outcome,” Murdoch told the HeraldScotland.

“I turn up every day in training thinking I don’t have anything to my name. Every day you start with nothing so you have everything to gain. There is so much I can work on technically and nutritionally as well and I am working closely with psychologist Misha Botting at sportsscotland’s institute of sport. There is so much to improve on but as for the world record, then one day, maybe.”

Murdoch had improvements in all of the breaststroke events, but his improvement in the 200 was the most stunning. He went from a lifetime best of 2:13.92 in 2013 to finishing 2014 with a best of 2:07.30.

That improvement is what enabled him to get the better of Olympic silver medalist and fellow Scotsman Michael Jamieson in Glasgow. It also placed him on top of the world rankings.

This weekend Murdoch will be representing the University of Stirling at his first British University and Colleges Sport Championships. He will be racing the 50 and 100 breaststroke in Sheffield.