Rio Olympics: London 2012 silver medallist Michael Jamieson reveals just what swimmers must go through to land glory in Brazil

IT is impossible to put into words exactly what it takes to win an Olympic medal, the sheer effort required.

For the majority of the athletes in Rio, the next two weeks will represent the very pinnacle of their careers.

Fans will see a snapshot of  journeys, many ending in euphoria or catastrophic, devastating  loss.

But they will not see the diets, the injuries, the psychological battles through qualification and the search for form — the lifetime of regimented preparation in search of their moment of glory.

The magnitude of this event for Olympic athletes is difficult to fathom.

We will witness event favourites produce uncharacteristic results and collapse under the self-inflicted  pressure.

Underdogs will produce career efforts and steal the show from their heroes. The unpredictability that sport provides is what captures us all. While London 2012 was a fiesta of sporting success, for the British swim team the story was very different.

We failed to meet the medal target set by UK Sport. Soon after there was an exodus of staff   and  athletes.

Three national performance centres were closed after a £3.5million cut in funding. The British swim team were left rudderless.

Fast forward two years. A change of guard occurred in Glasgow at the 2014 Commonwealth Games.

The home nation’s performances dominated the headlines.

From Dan Wallace’s infamous “for freedom” victory scream after winning Commonwealth gold in the 200m medley, to tears of relief  and joy from the softly-spoken Hannah Miley.

Siobhan-Marie O’Connor, after debuting in London as a 15-year-old, shone with five medals. Adam Peaty, with a physique akin to those in Greek mythological times, dominated while James Guy, with an abundance of talent, showed he is capable of becoming a great.

The potential of this young squad was confirmed again in Kazan at the World Championships last summer, with a record nine trips to the podium.

There is a palpable confidence in the British team ranks as we approach the start of Rio.

We have as many as nine medal opportunities, but the first few days of competition will set the tone and mindset for the team.

We witnessed this in London. The team had a slow start to the  competition as doubt and fear began to creep in.

This highlights the importance of performances from James Guy in the 400m freestyle, Hannah Miley in the 400m medley and  Adam Peaty in the semi-finals of the 100m breaststroke on the opening day in Rio tomorrow.

They can set a tone that makes or breaks the spirit of the team.

Taper-thin margin for error

ANOTHER facet of athletic performance  is in the taper period.

The taper is very individual and is  basically a reduction in the volume and intensity of training before an event, enabling them to deliver a peak performance on a certain date, or in a window of time.

The length of the taper can vary greatly. For example, Jazz Carlin will only taper for ten to 12 days due to the high aerobic fitness demands of her events.

The distance Jazz covers in the pool will be reduced from 65 to 70km per week, down to 30 to 35km to promote recovery.

The dry land and gym programme will also be reduced and focus will switch from strength development to strength maintenance and power, where Jazz will look to execute administered exercises explosively.

Ben Proud, the 50m freestyle sprinter, and backstroker Chris Walker-Hebborn will likely be more towards a 28-day taper period,  reducing to around a 15km swim volume in the week before competition.  They will retain a degree of strength maintenance in their preparation  to maintain lean muscle mass.

The physiological demand of training through taper is greatly reduced, as are the dietary needs.

Swimmers eat in excess of 5,000 calories a day in their heaviest training periods, but that must also be tapered.

Carbohydrate volume is decreased, intake of artificial sugars is decreased and protein is maintained, or slightly increased, to avoid a drop in lean muscle mass.

To add body mass, an athlete must exceed their recommended energy intake by at least 600 calories per day — an extra meal. An increase in upper body mass could result  in a two per cent increase in drag force emitted on the body in the body, which could be highly damaging.

It may also negatively impact the body alignment, which is critical when diving into the water or during the underwater turning phase. But increasing lean body mass is a delicate procedure.

One taboo area for athletes  is alcohol.  Personally, I avoided pubs and clubs for 12 months leading into London 2012 and drank only in off-season periods beyond that.

My view was any slight advantage I could grab over my opponents would be worth it when the Games come around.

Others, Ryan Lochte springs to mind, like  a few (dozen) beers in the week to ease the stresses of training, which is understandable.

It’s entirely up to the individual to decide  what benefits, or disadvantages, they see with or without it.

Phelps line is still ringing

THE ‘Greatest Olympian of All Time’, the ‘Pele of the swim world’. There will never be another Michael Phelps.

His personal struggle with alcohol and depression has been well documented and many thought he was finished.

For five days in 2014, the most decorated Olympian in history lay at home, fearful and embarrassed at his latest drink drive offence.

It was at this point Phelps decided to get help. He entered rehab.

Last summer he announced his return with world-leading efforts in a new, reduced training, race-heavy schedule at the US Nationals. Sporting a noticeably leaner physique, he punched the water and let out a roar.

Now a dad after his wife Nicole Johnson had their first child,  Phelps, 31, will compete in the 100m, 200m Butterfly, 200 medley and relay events, which — given his history — is a much more forgiving race schedule.

The main reason behind the decision was so he can target gold medals.

Approaching his fifth and final Games, Phelps is here to win, add to his record tally of 22 Olympic medals —  including 18 Golds — and cement his status as the greatest Olympian of all time.