However, with LA in mind, Dean decided fresh impetus was needed and opted to join his big pal Duncan Scott and others at the University of Stirling. It is a change he is revelling in.
“I got through my first Stirling winter and the days are starting to get longer, which is quite nice,” he says. “It’s flown by and I’m absolutely loving it.
“It feels like when I was 18, and I was completely new, with training partners that can push me, and I need to earn my stripes all over again. It’s been a real kick up the backside and given me a new burst of energy.”
The move has also given Dean a cultural education.
He now knows there are two different types of sausage that go in breakfast rolls and, thanks to their shared training facilities, he is now fully appraised in the ways of the Team GB curlers who won silver at the Winter Olympics.
Exploring the hills around Stirling are also on his agenda but, first, Dean will compete in the 200m and 400m freestyle over the next couple of days at the Edinburgh International Swim Meet – live on the BBC.
“I love the Edinburgh meet,” he adds. “It’s a real staple – like a British trials before the British trials because everyone’s at this meet.
“So if I can go out there and put some good performances on for myself in my own lane, that’s what I want from this weekend.”
