Luke Greenbank arrives in Glasgow for the LEN European Short Course Championships high on confidence after a brilliant showing at the World Championships in July.
He led off the Great Britain 4x100m medley squad that took home gold from Gwangju in a European record time, but his showing individually in the 200m backstroke was arguably just as impressive.
Greenbank himself admitted that his aim had simply been to make the final, but he produced a personal best to seal a bronze medal having finished 14th overall in the 100m backstroke.
The Crewe-born swimmer enjoyed an impressive junior career, winning gold in the 2014 European Junior Championships in the 200m backstroke and taking bronze in the same event later that year in the Youth Olympics in Nanjing.
Greenbank arrived on the senior international stage in style in 2015 as he won gold in the 100m and 200m backstroke events at the European Games in Baku, the latter breaking the world junior record, before winning his third medal of the games in the 4x100m medley relay.
At his first World Championships in 2017, he qualified for the semi-finals of the 200m backstroke, finishing 13th overall.
It was a case of near misses on the Gold Coast at his first Commonwealth Games in 2018 a year later as Greenbank came 4th in the 100m and 200m backstroke events, denied both times by Australian home dominance.
“The Gold Coast was a little bit frustrating,” he said afterwards. “Fourth is always a difficult place, I was hoping to get a medal and stop the Aussies getting a one-two-three.”
“But it was their environment, and I’m not as used to swimming outside so to go that quick, I was pleased with.”
Earlier this year Greenbank won double gold in the British Championships in Glasgow, first in the 100m backstroke before backing it up with another win in the 200m where he triumphed by well over two seconds.
Greenbank will hope being back in familiar surroundings will help him add to his already impressive medal tallies.
Follow Luke on social
Twitter – @lukegreenbank97
Instagram – lukegreenbank
Short Course Personal Bests
50m Backstroke – 24.11 (2018)
100m Backstroke – 50.88 (2018)
200m Backstroke – 1:51.16 (2018)
Fun Fact – Greenbank doesn’t like the taste of water, his drink bottles are usually filled with cranberry juice.