Edinburgh International Swimming Meet: Tom Dean eyes the Olympics

However, with Los Angeles in mind, Dean decided that a new impetus was needed and chose to join his great friend Duncan Scott and others at the University of Stirling. It’s a change he enjoys.

“I’ve had my first winter in Stirling and the days are starting to get longer, which is very nice,” he says. “It was flown in and I absolutely love it.

“It’s like I was 18, and I was brand new, with training partners who could push me, and I needed to earn my stripes again. It was a real kick in the butt and gave me a new boost of energy.”

The move also gave Dean a cultural education.

He now knows there are two different types of sausages that go into breakfast rolls, and thanks to their shared training facilities, he now has a full appreciation for the methods of the Team GB curlers who won silver at the Winter Olympics.

Exploring the hills around Stirling is also on his agenda, but first, Dean will compete in the 200m and 400m freestyle over the next two days at the Edinburgh International Swimming Meet – live on the BBC.

“I love meeting Edinburgh,” he adds. “It’s a real staple – like the British trials before the British trials because everyone is at this meet.

“So, if I can go out there and make some good plays myself at my own track, that’s what I want this weekend.”