Glasgow 2014: Hannah Miley's dad feared he would miss race

Hannah Miley's father revealed he almost missed his daughter's gold medal-winning swim at Glasgow 2014.

Miley defended her 400m Commonwealth Medley title with a superb display, finishing in four minutes 31.76 seconds to break her own Games record.

"At the entrance there was a huge queue so I had to say 'I'm sorry but I have to get through'," said Patrick Miley.

"A helpful woman then said to the crowd: 'This is Hannah Miley's dad', and there was a huge cheer."

Patrick, also Hannah's coach, believes her latest Commonwealth gold is down to her tireless training.

And he reckons the 24-year-old can continue to star at the top level of swimming for years to come.

"It was very, very special because so much work has gone into it," he added.

"She's 24 and I taught her to swim when she was three, she started at swimming club when she was six. She has a very ruthless and regimented approach to everything she does. It's relentless, she hasn't seen her boyfriend for six months.

"She's not the biggest of athletes so that means she has to be technically proficient and have a huge heart. That's not something that's just happened, it's taken years to develop.

"I think there's a lot more to come, she's getting to be an older athlete in some people's eyes, but I disagree."

Miley still has races to swim at Glasgow 2014 and she admits the magnitude of her achievement has yet to hit home.

"As much as a joy, it's also a relief," she said. "The competition isn't over for me yet so I've not been able to stop and look back over the race. It hasn't really sunk in yet.

"I was really chuffed that I was able to break the Games record. I managed to get the record when I was in Delhi under extreme circumstances so I knew it would be pretty straightforward to try to break the Games record again, but to go that quick in the final, I wasn't expecting that."

Having raced for Team GB at London 2012, Miley revealed the home Games experience helped her claim gold at Tollcross International Swimming Centre on Thursday.

"Regardless of my headphones I could still hear the crowd," she added.

"The fact people were drumming their feet on the floor at the far end meant it was making a loud booming noise. It was great and it was the first time I've actually stood up and embraced the crowd.

"In London it was wonderful but you didn't really know what to expect until you got out there and it pretty much hit you like a bus. Here, the noise level was 10 times louder but it was closer, and the fact it was in such a familiar setting for me, I just loved it, I loved every minute of it.

"London has definitely set me up to manage and cope with home crowd support, and the pressures that come along with that. It has been a big stepping stone for me being the athlete I am today."