In the pool, the friendly rivalries of England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales keep the atmosphere light, even as the athletes chase medals.

Richards has already won three medals at these Games and is still waiting for his first gold. He and Mc Millan swim in the same heat as Scotsman Evan Jones and Englishman Tom Dean, all of whom were part of the world‑champion relay squad.

England’s Guy says the chance for Team GB colleagues to go head‑to‑head makes the Commonwealth Games a bit more special. “It’s actually really cool because it’s very rare we represent our home nations,” he added, noting the odd feeling of being part of different countries while usually training together.

Australia have dominated the pool so far, butFields, who has already claimed gold in Glasgow, knows all four teammates have ambitions to top the podium. “We go head to head so much at British Championships year in and year out, it’s always fun racing thoseOther boys,” Scott said, adding that everyone simply wants to see themselves swim a little better.