National performance director Michael Scott is determined to rebound from GB's miserable swimming campaign.
National performance director determined to improve
Such was the misery of Britain's swimming campaign in London that national performance director Michael Scott ended the meet announcing he would not be quitting but would instead head a four-man review into what went wrong.
Hopes had been high coming into the 2012 Games that the swimmers could repeat their six-medal haul from Beijing, or at the very least match the base target of five set in agreement with UK Sport.
However, it proved beyond a team that emerged from the Aquatics Centre with just three medals, two bronzes from Rebecca Adlington and a silver from Michael Jamieson, despite having 23 places in finals - the third highest total behind the United States and Australia.
There was no trip to the podium for world open water champion Keri-anne Payne or Hannah Miley, Ellen Gandy or Fran Halsall, all medallists on the world stage.
Payne and Lizzie Simmonds were fourth in the open water and 200 metres backstroke respectively, with the men one place outside the medals in the 4x100m medley relay, while there were seven fifth-place finishes.
For Scott the reasons behind those near misses pose a major question in the review he will head alongside the British Swimming board member and experienced international official Craig Hunter, as well as two yet-to-be-appointed performance leaders.
The inquest will take on a no-stone-unturned policy, with Scott knowing they must be open to any idea if they are to avoid a repeat of the underachievement in London.
Gutted
Australian Scott was clearly shaken by the past two weeks and said: "I am gutted with the performances. We came here to be successful and success is measured by podium performances and we didn't achieve that.
"On a personal level I've never experienced a low like this but we have to rebound, we will rebound, we will use this disappointment to get stronger, but the one key thing is that we do need to take this thorough performance debrief, we do need to understand the reasons why.
"I don't want to sit here again and I don't want to feel like I am feeling now."
He was, though, determined to stay on and said: "My style is not to quit, my style is not to walk away, and I won't be walking away."
For the British team at the last two Olympics, the importance of Adlington has been immeasurable.
Two golds in Beijing were followed by her bronze double in the capital.
A battling performance in the 400m freestyle saw the 23-year-old clinch third from lane eight after squeezing through as the slowest qualifier.
Stunned
However, she was stunned by Katie Ledecky in the 800m, the 15-year-old American going out from the off to blow apart the expected showdown between Adlington and old adversary Lotte Friis.
Ledecky has never even competed at a senior national championships in the United States, but her victory at the American trials marked her out as one to watch as the second fastest this year.
The teenager's time was the second fastest in history, behind only Adlington in Beijing.
There were some high points, especially with the men's breaststroke.
As well as Jamieson, his Bath ITC team-mate Andrew Willis and young Scot Craig Benson all swam new bests.
Jamieson lowered his own best by 2.41 seconds in his three races over 200m, with his effort in the final the fourth fastest time in history.
There will no doubt be funding ramifications, with UK Sport announcing their decision in December based on performance in London and medal potential in Rio four years hence.
Swimming is the fourth highest funded Olympic sport in Britain behind athletics, cycling and rowing, all of which claimed multiple medals in London.
As Scott said: "We most likely will have to be leaner and meaner and that means things will change, that's my job."
