With the European Championships in Glasgow just 30 days away Balloch’s Ross Murdoch can’t wait to be back competing in front of a home crowd in the pool where he enjoyed his most famous win.

All of the swimming events will take place at the Tollcross International Swimming Centre - the same venue where the 24-year-old blew away spectators with his gold-medal win in the 200m breast stroke at the Commonwealth Games four years ago.

With that victory he became the poster boy for those Games and has since added a number of medals to his haul including a gold at the last European Games in London in 2016 and a hard-fought silver at this year’s Commonwealth Games in the Gold Coast.

And with the big countdown on to the multi-sport event which Glasgow will be co-hosting, from August 1 to 12, with Berlin he is sure the home support will give him an extra boost once again.

He said: “Glasgow 2018 is going to be a fantastic competition. It’ll be great to get back to Tollcross and race at another major competition there.

“The last major swimming competition in Glasgow was the Commonwealth Games in 2014 and the crowd was absolutely unbelievable. I’m certain the home crowd will be every bit as excited and will cheers us all the way again.

“They definitely help. I expect to see it sold out and the fans cheering on everyone along the way will give us the best home advantage.”

The Scot was flying at the Gold Coast Aquatic Centre in April, leading Glasgow-born Englishman James Wilby at the final turn by over a second.

But unlike in Glasgow in 2014 when he eased to gold against favourite Michael Jamieson, Murdoch began to tire and was unable to find that extra gear as Wilby, overtook him.

Despite being unable to defend his Commonwealth gold, he has since based a training camp around rectifying his poor finish and refuses to look back on his silver medal as anything but a positive after recording his fastest ever time in the pool for that stage in the season.

He explained: “The Gold Coast silver was the fastest I’ve ever swam for April by over half a second. April is so early on in our season. So that for me was a great result and I can only go on and do my best again in the summer.”

Last week he joined up with a 39 strong GB contingent in Rome for the 2018 Sette Colli as he looked to get in some final competitive preparation before the big event in Glasgow.

He didn’t place in Italy, but with the Championships edging ever closer, Murdoch insists that he is in a good place and raring to go as he prepares to defend his gold medal in the 200m breaststroke from the London championships come August, stating: “I’m happy with where I am at this stage. I’m just getting on with the hard work at the moment.

Murdoch also has the potential to compete again in the 100m and 50m, which he also won silver and bronze in in the European championships last time round.

But he remains wary of adding any extra pressure onto himself particularly as he prepares to line up against Wilby and Adam Peaty, who has been almost unbeatable since his double Olympic gold in Rio two years ago.

He added: “It’ll be difficult to replicate those medals from London. You’ve got myself, Wilby and Adam going in the 100m breaststroke heats. You can only have two of the Team GB swimmers go through to the final, so just making it past the heats will be one of the hardest rounds in Glasgow.”