Carry added a relay silver medal to the bronze he won in the 400m freestyle

By David Carry Scottish swimmer at the Commonwealth Games

David Carry reflects on winning two medals in the Commonwealth Games pool for Team Scotland.

These Commonwealth Games in Delhi are proving to be the most challenging of my career, anyone stepping on the podium has earned their place but real credit should go to the support network of each athlete.

It was a real mix of emotions when I touched the wall winning the bronze in the 400m freestyle. I stuck to our race plan, starting with a quick pace to make my competitors swim to my race plan in the hope the more endurance athletes would struggle to keep up.

As the race developed the pack started to close in but I managed to find an extra gear down the last length, enough to win the bronze medal but not to retain my title.

The realisation I was no longer Commonwealth champion was hard to take but I was soon overcome with real pride standing on the podium and seeing the Saltire flag being raised again.

On day two, after the high of the 400 freestyle, I had to refocus on my next event, the 200m freestyle. I had high hopes for this event as my training had been geared towards the shorter event.

I went into the final ranked fourth and was in a medal winning position right up to the last 35 meters. I tired badly and finished in eighth position, with the previous days racing taking its toll.

After two days of tough racing my third and final event was the 4x200m freestyle relay. Disappointed from my 200m result the previous night and tired from the 5am starts, 15-hour days and spending about 10 hours on the athlete's buses in three days, I needed to raise my game, and quickly!

Carry was exhausted come the time of the 4x200m relay

My inspiration and support came from those around me.

My coaches, team management and doctor were all clocking up 16-hour days making sure we were performing at the right time at the right place under considerably more challenging circumstances than we would normally expect.

Our team physio, Maggie Hendry, deserves special mention for all the hard work she had keeping the whole swimming team in great shape with warm-up and recovery stretching and massages, but the greatest inspiration came from the three other swimmers in the relay. The faith and support they showed me was incredible and I knew I could not let them down.

The relay performance was outstanding and one of my career highlights.

Each of us had a very specific role to play in the team, with Andy Hunter leading off in an excellent time. My leg was seen as the 'moving leg', putting us in a medal-winning position, the rookie Jak Scott was asked to protect our position and Robbie Renwick's job was to determine the colour of the medal.

Each of us executed our roles perfectly and as a result got our best possible result, a silver medal behind Australia, one of the world's best teams.

With such a heavy reliance on those around me, it is hard to justify my title of an individual athlete.

Had it not been for the wonderful support and my team both here in Delhi and back home, I simply would not be standing back on the podium. I just wish I could have taken them all up there with me!

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