Rothley's Sean McCann exceeded his own expectations as the Scottish swimmer made the men's 400m freestyle final on his Commonwealth Games debut.
The 21-year-old — the younger brother of Madeleine McCann — was cheered on by his parents, Kate, who was wearing a "Yes Sir, I Can Boogie" T-shirt, and Gerry, as well as by his twin sister, Amelie, and a partisan home crowd at Tollcross.
Looking at the stacked heats, McCann admitted he feared for his chances, but his time of 3:52.65 was enough to progress as the eighth fastest, which was the same position he recorded in the final in a slightly slower time of 3:53.47.
"I was delighted to make the final," said McCann. "It wasn't really an expectation coming into the championships, especially with how strong the field was, so to have made it is fantastic.
"I wouldn't say I felt pressure, but I was definitely nervous. There were so many people watching, and I wanted to perform well, not just for myself but for Team Scotland as well. I'm glad I was able to produce a decent performance.
"It was amazing. You could hear the Scottish supporters all the way around the pool, and they really spurred me on to give everything over the last part of the race."
McCann and his twin sister were both two years old when their older sister, Madeleine, disappeared at the age of three during a family holiday in Praia da Luz, Portugal, in 2007. The disappearance became one of the most widely publicised missing-person cases in the world and remains the subject of an active Metropolitan Police investigation.
Alongside his swimming career, he is studying for a degree in chemical engineering at Loughborough University and has been part of the Scottish Swimming performance pathway since his teenage years.
Although raised in England, McCann is eligible to represent Scotland through his father. At this year's British Championships, he claimed bronze in the 800m freestyle and finished fourth in the 1,500m freestyle.
McCann's promise has been no secret in swimming circles, having earned age-group selections for the Commonwealth Youth Games and the European Junior Championships.
He is considered a stronger prospect in the longer 800m and 1,500m distances, which come later in the Games. Sam Short will be the one to beat in those events too after leading home an Australian 1-2-3 in the 400m freestyle.
"The Olympics is always the ultimate goal,” added McCann. "Being able to represent Scotland here is a really important stepping stone towards that. Hopefully, with a couple more years of hard work, I can put my name in the mix.
"I've loved competing from a young age. That's what makes all the hours of training worthwhile – being able to come out here, race in front of a crowd like this and swim as well as I can.”
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