Commonwealth and world champion Hannah Miley has spoken of her sadness at the death of north-east swimming stalwart Ken McKay.
The Stonehaven man achieved a series of remarkable exploits in the pool, which included winning six world titles, 40 British ones, and no less than 168 Scottish honours.
Mr McKay, who has died aged 87, was distraught after losing his wife, Elenor Gordon, who secured a bronze medal at the 1952 Olympic Games in Helsinki, and wrote a heartfelt letter to Ms Miley in 2014. As a result the pair became friends.
And yesterday, the 27-year-old double Commonwealth 400m individual medley champion from Inverurie talked about the “serendipity”, which had forged their bond in recent times.
She said: “When I read Ken’s letter, it was so beautiful and so moving that it opened my eyes. He was obviously missing Elenor very much. But he told me about the joy he had gained from watching me win the gold in Glasgow.
“Sometimes, as athletes, we are in a bubble and we don’t notice what is happening outside it. But I felt very privileged not only to hear from Ken, but to keep in touch with him and meet him at Stonehaven Open Air Pool, where he told me I reminded him of Elenor.
“My performance had helped him at a moment of great sadness in his life, and that brought tears to my eyes.
“We kept in touch, and wrote letters and exchanged Christmas cards, and it was good to communicate that way.
“I was devastated to hear from his grand-daughter that Ken had passed, but he achieved plenty in his life and he had a lot to be proud of.
“And now, I am happy that he has been reunited with Elenor again, because he thought the world of her.”
Ms Miley was speaking prior to travelling to the United States with her British teammates for an event in Indianapolis on Thursday.
Mr McKay, who died earlier this month, grew up on Allardice Street in Stonehaven and, when a new Art Deco outdoor facility was opened in the town in 1934, he relished his visits to the facility with his mother.
Even during World War II, he recalled spending nights hiding under the stairs at his home during air raids and witnessed the bomb crater which was created at the golf club.
His philosophy in life was summed up by his words: “You can’t change growing old, but you can delay growing up.”
As Ms Miley said: “When he wrote to me, it was a Sliding Doors moment – there was a serendipity about it.”