Scottish swimmer Lucy Hope has fresh lease of life ahead of World Championships bid

Olympic finalist Lucy Hope is confident her swimming switch to Stirling can help her ride the wave to become a medallist in Paris in 2024.

Lucy Hope after competing in the Women's 100m Freestyle during the British Swimming Glasgow Meet in June. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)

The Borderer, 24, will take the plunge in the 200m freestyle when the world short-course championships start in Abu Dhabi today (Thursday).

It’s the Scottish champion’s first international outing since quitting Edinburgh University to train along side Tokyo gold medallists Duncan Scott and Kat Dawson under the watchful eye of their coach Steven Tigg.

And Hope believes the change of scene has given her a fresh lease of life in the pool.

She said: “I had been thinking about it for a little while, about changing things up. I wasn't sure where I was going to end up. But just having conversations with different people, I knew I wanted to stay in Scotland. I love it up here. And I think the atmosphere at Stirling was what I wanted to end up with.

“It's been going really well. I'm a sponge and I'm trying to absorb as much as I can from all the different people I get to work with, whether that's nutritionists, S&C, physios, coaches. Everyone has a little different take on things. I'm just 24. But I'm still learning.”

Scott will open up in the 4x100m freestyle relay with fellow Scot Katie Shanahan in the 400m individual medley.

But at the close of an exhausting year and just two weeks after the final of the International Swimming League, Hope claims many will be throwing whatever is left in the tank at the worlds.

“We never really taper for short-course,” she said. “It's always for long-course season. So I'm definitely just out to see what I can do.”

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