Clark was a teenager when she lost what athlete funding she previously did have, as she chose to focus on the one non-Olympic distance.
Adam Peaty, the most decorated British swimmer of all time, shares Clark’s panache for the 50m breaststroke. But the difference is that he is also the fastest man the world has ever seen over 100m in the same stroke.
Reflecting on the Olympic Games that have previously passed her by, Clark feels that the “sky’s the limit” for what she could have achieved if she had the financial backing to train and compete full-time.
“I struggled a lot coming to grips with that,” she said. “I missed out on a lot of world championships because I’ve not had the chance to qualify for the 50.
“I think about the life I could have lived and how much harder I could have trained without having to work a full 40 hours a week as well as having to train. It’s hard to think about, but I’m at peace with it and I think when I leave the sport I will be a better, well-rounded person having lived real life on top of training.”
Clark admits the daily juggle of working full-time and training at Repton School – which has a swimming programme that is overseen by former Aquatics GB national coach Jamie Main – has previously had her questioning her future in the sport.
“It really has been challenging, but every time I’ve thought about retiring there is something that has been keeping me in,” she said.
“People look at me as an older swimmer who is not at every major meet and is not on funding, and think ‘why are you doing it?’ But there is something that keeps me grounded in the sport and something that keeps me wanting to get up in the morning to do it.
“But it is exciting that I keep getting to do it, regardless of everything else I’m still one of the best in the country and challenging those world competitors. So why not?”
And for that reason, even when she tells herself that she will “manage expectations” in Glasgow, she is determined to be a “real challenger” who would “love to medal again” at the Commonwealth Games.
