Commonwealth Games gold medallist Daniel Tranter's says everything in his life has pointed towards the swimming pool. From the day when as a young child he almost drowned when he jumped into a pool at a friend's birthday party and was saved by his mother Leanne, to being another asthma sufferer who has turned to swimming for exercise and, according to his own admission, being hopeless at any other sport that required hand-eye coordination.
Tranter however on Tuesday night won the 200m individual medley became Australia's final individual gold medallist of an incredibly successful campaign in the pool resulting in 57 medals, including 19 gold.
The unheralded and unassuming Tranter won on the back of an impressive breaststroke leg, in one minute 57.83, from Scotland's Daniel Wallace (1:58.72) and South Africa's Chad le Clos (1:58.85) just pipping Australia's Thomas Fraser Holmes (1:58.85) for bronze.
The 22 year old had a massive release of emotion at the end of the race, yelling and encouraging his teammates to increase the volume of their cheering.
"It's just such an amazing feeling," Tranter said.
"I've been swimming since I was seven years old. I've always seen the Australian swim team and the success that they've had at the Olympic Games and especially Commonwealth Games, so to finally be part of that is a little but surreal.
"Everything that I saw those guys experiencing on TV I got to experience just then in a 10 minute period so it's pretty extreme and it's probably going to take a little while to come back down.
It has not been an easy journey for Tranter, who suffered a serious back injury in a car accident, which was caused when a water bottle rolled under the brake pedal, before the London Olympic Games.
He told Fairfax Media in 2012 that "my back was mangled, it was ridiculous. I had terrible whiplash and my neck … but it could have been so much worse. I can consider myself really lucky.''
On Tuesday night he said the medal was reward for all those who had helped him recover.
"Unfortunately it's been a bit of a bumpy road but it adds to the experience I think," he said.
"Having to work through all those obstacles has definitely made this somewhat more important for me. It's kind of like the light at the end of the tunnel.
"It's been a very, very tough experience. I've had a lot of people who have gone beyond their job description to help me get here so it's not only a great thing for me but it kind of feels like my little way of giving back to them as well.
Tranter's parents were among the first people he greeted after receiving his medal, an occurrence in which he saw great irony considering it was his mother Leanne, who rescued him from the pool.
"I was at a friend's one-year-old birthday party and I saw everyone swimming in the pool and I guess I just thought I could naturally do that," he said.
"As it turns out I couldn't.
"Funnily enough mum was there to jump in and grab me and I was able to see mum at the end of the pool tonight so my first experience with swimming and my most recent experience with swimming both involve mum, (although it is) from one extreme to the other."
"I think it gave me a reason to swim. All arrows pointed to the pool, the drowning experience obviously, I've had really really bad issues with my asthma as well, which is a big starting factor for I was lucky or unlucky enough to be horrible at every other sport that wasn't swimming so I really had not other choice but to be a swimmer, as hand eye coordination, all those things weren't on my side."
Meanwhile, Cameron McEvoy has finished the Commonwealth Games as the posterboy of just how small the margins can be in swimming. The Australian freestyle star won three individual silvers - in the 50m, 100m and 200m freestyle - finishing behind the gold medal winners by 0.08, 0.24 and 0.48 seconds. That is a total of 0.80 seconds across the three races.
McEvoy, who also won gold with the two freestyle relays, is not bothered by the closeness.
"If I was like that I wouldn't be able to get to sleep at night. I'm just happy with what I've got," McEvoy said.
"If you had asked me a year ago if I'd thought I'd get five medals at these Commonwealth Games I'd probably (say) I'd get one if I'm lucky in the relay."
England's Benjamin Proud won the gold in the 50m freestyle in 21.92 while 100m freestyle gold medallist James Magnussen was third in 22.10 and fellow Australian Matt Abood was fourth in 22.10.
Bronte Barratt won the bronze in the 400m freestyle, sneaking into third on the last lap to finish in 4:06.02, behind New Zealand winner Lauren Boyle who touched in 4:04.47, ahead of second place getter Carlin Jazz of Wales in 4:05.16. Sunshine Coast teenager Remy Fairweather stuck to the leaders before fading in the final 100m to finish sixth in 4:07.65.
The women's 4x100m medley relay of Cate Campbell, Emma McKeon, Emily Seebohm and Lorna Tonks won gold, while the men's team won the silver despite a brilliant last leg by Magnussen, who has been severely hampered by a back injury.
Para-swimmer Katherine Downie won the silver in the 200 individual medley.
