Focus on times, not titles for Hannah Miley

Hannah Miley will be bidding for a ninth 400m IM title at the British Championships. Picture: Ian Rutherford

HANNAH Miley insists she is concentrating solely on times at this month’s British Swimming Championships and will not get caught up in trying to reclaim her title.

Between 2006 and 2013 there was one constant at the British Swimming Championships, and that was Miley standing atop the women’s 400m individual medley podium. But, after eight straight golds, Miley opted out of the 400m IM at last year’s edition in Tollcross, having only just secured her Commonwealth Games spot in that event at the Scottish Championships.

It proved to be a good decision as the Inverurie 25-year-old went on to defend her Commonwealth title in Glasgow, clocking her fastest time for five years in the process as she touched home in a Games record time of 4:31.76 minutes, before adding 200m IM bronze two days later.

As the British Championships return to the London Aquatics Centre this time around, Miley is also back in the hunt for a ninth 400m IM title.

However Miley is adamant she is not focusing solely on another gold medal, instead looking to book a plane ticket to Russia with the British Championships doubling up as the trials for this summer’s World Championships.

She said: “I chose not to race the 400m IM last year because I raced it at the Scottish Championships right before the British Championships and qualified for the Commonwealth Games.

“I just wanted to make sure I qualified for the Scotland Commonwealth Games team, which I did, so at the British Championships I just did the other races I didn’t do at the Scottish to top up. This time around, though, it is all about making the team for the worlds, so I will be back in the 400m IM and looking to swim fast.

“But for me it is not so much about counting the number of times I have won a title, but instead it is all about setting myself up as best as possible for the summer.

“It would be great to win the 400m IM again but it is more about ensuring I am in the best possible form and place ahead of hopefully doing the same in Russia.”

Should Miley make it to Russia, it will be her fourth World Championships – her best result seeing her claim 400m IM silver back in 2011 in Shanghai.

On the other two occasions she has just missed out on the podium with finishes of fourth and fifth, not that she is any less confident this time around.

“Every time I swim I am going out there to try and prove a point,” she added. “I am noticing things are getting a little harder the older I get but I still think I have what it takes.

“The younger girls coming through are great but for me that spurs me on and it is good to know I have people around to push me on.

“You need that domestic rivalry to contest with the rest of the world so it is a good thing and something I welcome.”

Stephen Milne, meanwhile, admits he will have no problem getting up for the challenge when he takes to his favourite pool for the championships.

At the Olympic trials in 2012, the Perth 20-year-old competed in no fewer than five events with his best result seeing him finish ninth in the 1500m freestyle.

He has certainly pushed on since then, taking 1500m bronze the next year while last summer he was a member of the Scottish team which claimed silver in the 4x200m at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

And with World Championship qualification on offer, he admits it will be a special occasion all round. He said: “The London Aquatics Centre is my favourite pool. I swam there at the London trials and I just loved it. It’s a really nice pool and venue and it’s great to be going back.

“The bigger the competition the more I enjoy it, especially the atmosphere and the crowds.

“I’ll see how I get on at the British Championships and that will determine my goals for the summer. I’d love to make the World Championships but there is also the World Junior Championships, so we’ll see what happens.”