Olympic gold medallist Tim Baillie is unsure what the future holds for him but is enjoying his new lease of life since retiring this year.
The 35-year-old canoeist from Westhill, near Aberdeen, won gold in the C2 event with partner Etienne Stott at London 2012.
However, the Scot will not defend his title in Rio in 2016 having announced his decision to retire in January.
Baillie may miss the thrill of competing at the top level of sport but has found plenty of substitutes for that adrenalin rush.
He said: “Part of my reason for retiring was I wanted to have more time to do the other sports I enjoy.
“I don’t miss having all my time planned for me as that was the thing I was struggling with.
“You were training hard twice a day for six days a week.
“I enjoy most outdoor sports.
“I still go canoeing for fun but I have other hobbies I enjoy like mountain biking or ski-ing.
“I still haven’t decided upon a long-term career plan but I wouldn’t choose to be sitting at a desk all day.
“Something else I have enjoyed since retiring is that it is nice is not having to worry too much when you are injured or ill.
“If I pick up a little injury I can wait a couple of days and see how it is whereas before it would have been stressful as you would want to get back training as soon as possible.”
Baillie was at Pittodrie yesterday morning to pass on advice from his gold medal success to business people from Aberdeen at an event organised by Hunter Adams and ActivityMix.
Dons chief executive Duncan Fraser also spoke about the key to creating a winning team both on the pitch and behind the scenes at the club.
Baillie added: “I feel very privileged to have learned what I did through sport and it is nice to have the opportunity to share those lessons with people.
“It is interesting and speaking in front of so many people can give you a similar thrill to competing.”