Angharad Evans will channel the spirit of the Tartan Army when she makes her debut for Team Scotland at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
“No Scotland, no party” was the rallying cry and unofficial anthem adopted by Scotland fans at the recent World Cup.
Angharad Evans: photo courtesy: Morgan Harlow/Aquatics GB
Evans was one of millions watching on as their exploits were broadcast across the world and it served to inspire her as the clock ticks down to the start of the Games, 12 years after Tollcross hosted Glasgow 2014.
“That did get me excited,” she said. “I’m not even a football fan but that’s the thing about the Games, there’s going to be so many people in the crowd that aren’t necessarily swim fans but they’re Scottish fans. And they’ll see the Scottish flag on your hat and they’ll stand up and support you.
“Hearing about Glasgow 2014 just got me excited to get into Glasgow and begin racing and see that first hand.”
She added: “Most of the crowd will probably be Scots and the Tartan Army is just a really exciting crowd to have behind you supporting you so I think everything’s aligned now and I’m looking forward to the Games.”
Scotland Was The Making Of Evans
Evans could have qualified to represent Team England or Team Wales but chose Scotland in part because of their key role in the athlete she has become since returning from the USA to train at the University of Stirling.
Choosing Scotland was, she says, “a no-brainer” adding: “It’s not a secret that I wasn’t making teams before I moved to Stirling and they’ve completely changed me as an athlete. “To be able to represent Scotland and have Ben Higson as the head coach is really special to me.
“I think it’s just for me really exciting because Scotland made me the athlete I am today. To be able to compete in front of a home crowd in Glasgow, 30 minutes down the road from what made me the athlete I am today is really special and it’s once in a lifetime, I wasn’t even meant to be in Glasgow so it really feels like everything’s in line now and this is how it’s meant to be. I’m excited for what could possibly come.”
Heading The Rankings Once More A Year After Singapore Devastation
The 23-year-old sits atop the 100 and 200m breaststroke rankings in 1:04.96 and 2:19.70, both national record times set at the British Championships in April.
Can such performances become a burden in the sense that they increase the expectation she has of herself?9+9
“That’s the thing, it’s completely a mindset challenge as well because great, I’ve gone a 1:04, a 2:19.
Angharad Evans: Photo Courtesy: Morgan Harlow, Aquatics GB
“But something we’re taught is to not go into these Games with any expectations. I don’t have any gold medals to my name: every race I’m in is going to be a battle and I’m going to have to fight for it. Obviously it’s exciting knowing I’m capable of these fast times, I know my body can do these fast times. Other girls might be worried because they’ve seen me do those times and they haven’t been able to. Likewise, it’s anyone’s game, anyone can get that gold medal, that’s the exciting thing about it but also that’s a nerve-wracking thing.”
Evans also topped the 100 breast rankings going into the World Championships in Singapore last year. However, she didn’t navigate the prelims and finished 18th in 1:07.04, 1.67secs off her then British record of 1:05.37.
She responded to finish fifth in the 200 breast but the pain from last year remains at the forefront of her mind.
“Last year was pretty devastating,” she said. “I didn’t take it lightly at all. Coming back for the next season was really tough to just brush it under the carpet and move on. It’s 60 seconds but that stays with you for life: that race in Singapore will stay with me for life because I knew that wasn’t my best.
“To have all this hope before racing and just see it flash before your eyes that you don’t progress to the semifinals is devastating for swimmers when you train five hours a day, six days a week.
“I have that at the forefront of my mind and I think the fear of that happening again is also a benefit – I’d rather it happen then than now so now I know what to expect, I’m much more experienced than I was last year and I’m going to use it.”
