When Patrick Miley taught his three-year-old toddler to swim at the Garioch Pool in Inverurie, little did he know where it would lead. Fourteen years on, and the signpost is pointing Hannah directly towards the Olympic Games in Beijing next year.
 
For both father and daughter, it has been a special blend of teamwork that has turned one into a highly respected coach and the other into a teenage swimmer who is re-writing the British record books in the individual medley.
 
Hannah’s latest efforts at a recent meet in Barcelona whittled her best times down to 2:14.10 for the 200m and a hugely impressive 4:39.91 for the punishing 400m.
 
“Hannah was a water baby from the start and was always very accurate with her skills,” recalls Patrick, who swam for the Army and also coached during his days in the military. “She started swimming regularly when she was six at Garioch and has just kept progressing in the right direction.”
 
A silver medal in the 400m medley at the 2005 European Junior Championships was the first taste of high-level success, while her first GB senior cap followed at the European short-course Championships later that same year.
 
The Commonwealth Games in Melbourne last year should have been a highlight, but Hannah suffered with a serious viral infection just six weeks before the trip to Australian. Not that she didn’t come close to a medal, managing a fourth place in the 400m medley.
 
“But we had to be very careful with her comeback and it made it difficult for the rest of the season,” admitted Patrick. “But, this year, she has been ready to move forward again.”
 
Indeed she has, and there is a lot more to come over the rest of the summer. The British Championships in Sheffield at the end of July, the US Nationals in Indianapolis at the start of August and then it will be off to Japan for a British training camp in Osaka followed by a high-level meet in Chiba.
 
The swimmers will be returning home via Beijing to have a look at the Olympic facilities – and that will also mark the start of the final 12 months’ countdown to the biggest sporting show on earth.
 
For both Patrick and Hannah, it will be one big Olympic adventure, and one they look forward to sharing. “I’m very lucky because Hannah is really good at coping with our swimming relationship,” said Dad, who is now a helicopter pilot, ferrying workers to the North Sea oil rigs. “We’ve both had to change and adapt over the years, but I now think it is a huge advantage that I am her coach.
 
“I know exactly what she is eating, if she has slept well, how she is feeling and what other things she is having to cope with away from the pool.”
 
He is also not afraid to let go. Hannah has spent time training in Australia, with renowned US coach Peter Banks in Florida, and has also recently joined the City of Edinburgh squad, working with head coach Fred Vergnoux.
 
“We both need a break sometimes, and it’s great because when she goes away she always comes back with something new,” Patrick continues. “Fred has been very helpful. He is so passionate and has helped make Hannah even stronger.”
 
Watching this year’s Wimbledon final, Patrick was amused to hear how Marion Bertoli’s father was a bit of a maverick and instigated some unusual training methods. It struck a chord.
 
A few years ago, Patrick invented the Aquapacer – a metronomic-type device that helps swimmers monitor their training – while Hannah’s often trains in the pool with a belt tied round her waist and dragging sponges behind.
 
Not that Hannah is afraid of implementing her own gruelling routine. She regularly runs the three miles to the morning training sessions that start at 6am. In winter, she ties torches to her rucksack!

EB

© Copyright In The Winning Zone, MMVII, All Rights Reserved