DAVID CARRY

At the 2004 Olympics in Athens, David Carry made a pledge to himself. He was going to be a medallist come the 2008 Games in Beijing. With six months to go, everything is working out very nicely, thank you.

The Aberdonian showed his form with a couple of National freestyle records at last month's Scottish short-course Championships in Glasgow, and he is now in the final block of training in the countdown towards the Olympic trails in Sheffield at the end of March.

The only slight hiccup has been the announcement that his coach at Loughborough, Ian Turner, who was also in charge of the GB Olympic squad, is departing in April to take up an appointment in New Zealand. But even that potentially unsettling situation has not rocked Carry's positive outlook.

"Ian will be here until the trials," said the 26-year-old. "So there isn't any major panic."

Carry earned hero status in Scotland when he won two golds - 400m freestyle and 400m individual medley - at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne. If that was a high, then Athens produced a more poignant moment that typically shapes the career of any top class sportsman.

"At the last Olympics I didn't make an individual final," he recalled. "Then I swam in the heats of the 4 x 200m freestyle relay but was dropped for the final. Britain finished fourth, missing a medal by fractions.

"It shouldn't have happened. So, after Athens, I vowed I would do another four years, get to Beijing and come back with a medal. Everything has been geared towards that goal. The Commonwealth Games success was a bonus."

The 4 x 200m freestyle relay is one of the events that has been targeted by Britain, and Carry is proud that he has two fellow City of Aberdeen prodigies - Robbie Renwick and Rob Lang (who is now with City of Edinburgh) - in the mix for places.

"I think we have a wonderful chance of a medal and the 200m is one of the most competitive events in Britain," he continued. "Nowadays, Lottery Funding is very result-orientated and the relay is one of the big British hopes. It means we have had some very specialist preparation."

Carry moved to Loughborough as a full-time swimmer four years ago, but still keeps in close touch with City of Aberdeen's Eileen Adams. "The training and environment at Loughborough provided the perfect opportunity to develop the 4 x 200m relay potential," he explained. "But I still swim for City of Aberdeen and I speak to Eileen a lot. It's a set-up that is in very good shape."

At the trials, Carry will be taking part in the 400m freestyle, which is his favourite individual event, plus the 200m and 100m disciplines. "It would be nice to qualify for both the 400 and 200m individual, but the latter is going to be very tough."

As for the future, the Robert Gordon's University graduate in business studies refuses to look beyond the closing ceremony in Beijing. "What I'm going to do after the Olympics is far too big a decision to make at this stage," he stressed. If he does keep his promise to return home from Beijing with a medal, then a round of celebrity functions should help keep him busy at least for the rest of this year.

EB
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