HANNAH MILEY does not, she admits, like being told what to do. And she has not taken kindly to suggestions that she should perhaps consider retirement, with those calls having increased in regularity as she approached, and then earlier this month passed, her 30th birthday.

Miley is something of a phenomenon when it comes to longevity in the swimming world. The 400m individual medley specialist made her senior international debut over a decade ago but following a fourth-place finish at the Rio Olympics, as well as going the entirety of 2017 without picking up any major medals, there were some who had decided the Garioch native was past her best.

Miley is nothing if not tenacious though and a Commonwealth silver in April, followed by a hugely impressive bronze at the Glasgow 2018 European Championships, helped the diminutive swimmer prove to everyone that she is not ready to hang up her goggles just yet. And that, she admits, was hugely satisfying.

“People have spent a lot of time recently predicting how long I’ve got left and it really frustrates me so it was nice to show people that no, I’m not ready to retire yet,” she said.

“It’s good to show people I’m not coming to the end. I don’t like being told what to do in terms of my career. I want to feel like I’m in control of my career and not have it dictated to me by other people.

“It’s only when people mention how long I’ve been around that I sit back and think about it because for me, it’s so strange to think I’ve had a 12 year international career. I think about all of the competitions over that period and it feels like it’s gone past so quickly.

“However long I do have left of my career - whether I end it soon or whether I go on for another few years, as long as it’s on my terms, that’s all that matters to me.”

It was not merely that Miley grabbed a spot on the podium in Glasgow that was heartening for her, it was the manner in which she did it. The 30-year-old has been pipped into the dreaded fourth position more often than she would have liked throughout her career and so to be in a dog-fight for silverware and come out on top was, she admits, a huge confidence boost.

“It felt nice being able to fight for the finish instead of feeling like I was fading and being pushed back by the others,” Miley, who was speaking at a swim clinic organised by Watermans Claims, told Herald Sport.

“As much as swimming is about times, it is a very artistic sport in that it’s all about feel. So even though my time wasn’t the fastest I’ve ever done, it was just really nice that it felt good. My strokes felt connected and I was able to change gears to be able to fight for a spot on the podium instead of felling like I was out of control.

“So I’m so happy that when I was in a real tussle, I was able to reach the wall and get a medal rather than getting pushed into fourth place, like I seem to do quite a lot.”

While Miley is still not on the verge of retirement, she knows she is closer to the end of her career than the beginning. And so she is canny enough to know that planning for her life after sport is the smart thing to do, which is why she will spend these few weeks of her post-season break from training giving a bit of thought to what she might venture into once she enters what she calls the “real world”.

As one of the most thoughtful and articulate athletes in Scottish spot, coaching is an obvious next step but that is not, however, what Miley sees herself transitioning to immediately.

“I love being able to tell my story and I feel I’ve got something to offer in that area for a few reasons - because of my size, my background, being coached by my dad and just the fact that at the age of 30, I’m still doing this event because most people, as they get older in swimming, tend to reduce their distance," she said

"This is a tough sport, it’s one of the toughest sports out there because it’s so unforgiving but I like to hope that I can say things to the kids that will maybe help them. That feels really rewarding. But I don’t think I could go into coaching right off the back of finishing swimming. I like being able to share my knowledge but then being able to step away. I know how tough it is being a coach, having had my dad as my coach for so long, I’ve seen up close how stressful it can be and I don’t know if I’m ready to put myself through that.

"I want to explore other things and embrace every opportunity that comes up. I do know though that I have the knowledge there to be a coach and so I might end up pursuing it later on in my life.”

For now though, Miley is turning her thoughts to the 2020 Olympics which would, if she makes it to Tokyo, be her fourth Olympic Games. However, while it is too early for her to state definitively what her plans are, she knows for sure she is not interested in being there merely for the tracksuit and will only commit herself to the next two years if she is sure she can give it everything.

“I am feeling good about things going forward and I’m aware that Tokyo is there," she said.

"When I get back into the pool, I’ll reassess things, check that I’m happy to be back and one thing I am sure of is that if I’m going to continue to Tokyo, I need to be fully committed. First of all, I need to look at if I can make the team but it’s not just about making the team, I want to make the team and still be up there, being competitive with the rest of the world. The girls move on so quickly and it does get harder and harder each year to keep up. So I want to make sure that if I do go to Tokyo, I can still be a challenger and not go just for the sake of it.

"After Rio, people immediately turned their attention to Tokyo but I’ve got to be realistic so I need to make sure I look after myself both physically and mentally. I don’t want to go through another two years only to mentally destroy myself just because it hasn’t worked out.

"So it’s there and I’d like to target it but for now, I’m going to have my break and then take each season as it comes when I come back.”