< back
Craig MCNALLY
Sport Swimming
NOC Great Britain   
GenderMen
Born22 Dec 1992 in Edinburgh, SCO
Height1.91 m
 Human Interest 
Sport Specific Information
Club / Team
University of Stirling: Scotland
General Interest
Injuries
He had problems with his left shoulder during the early part of his career. (scotsman.com, 08 Sep 2009)
Awards and honours
He was named Male Swimmer of the Year at the 2018 City of Glasgow Swim Team awards ceremony in Scotland. (swimglasgow.co.uk, 10 Sep 2018)

He was named the 2011 Best Up and Coming Sportsperson at the Scottish Variety Awards. (backarisingstar.com, 19 Mar 2012)
Further Personal Information
Higher education
Accounting, Finance - Heriot-Watt University: Edinburgh, SCO
Sport Specific Information
Why this sport?
"I had always enjoyed swimming since finishing lessons and competing in school galas and knew that I wanted to take it up competitively. I didn't do this until my friend joined Warrender [in Edinburgh, Scotland] and I followed him into the club soon afterwards. I remember choking on the water once and refusing to get back in the pool but I overcame it."
General Interest
Hero / Idol
US swimmer Michael Phelps. (swimming.org, 02 Feb 2014)
Sport Specific Information
When and where did you begin this sport?
He learned to swim at age four at Balerno High School in Edinburgh, Scotland. He took up competitive swimming at age 11.
International Debut
Year
2010
Competing for
Scotland
Further Personal Information
Occupation
Athlete
Languages
English
General Interest
Sporting philosophy / motto
"I find nervous energy is the best thing, that's the thing I love before the race. I try to focus on getting as nervous as possible before the race because that's what helps me go out fast and not feel the pain until the later stages of a race." (dailymail.co.uk, 20 Jul 2014)
Other information
DELAYED RETIREMENT
He was planning to retire from competitive swimming in 2020 but decided to continue until 2022 following the postponement of the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. "When Olympic year was 2020, I was going to finish, no matter what. But then because of COVID, and it [the Olympic Games] getting delayed another year, it kind of meant that [the 2022] Commonwealth Games was a short time away. And it seems like too much of an opportunity to miss." (heraldscotland.com, 09 Dec 2021)

FURTHER EDUCATION
He has studied biology at the University of the West of Scotland. (uws.ac.uk, 12 Mar 2020; swimglasgow.co.uk, 16 Feb 2018; glasgowlife.org.uk, 14 Nov 2016)
Further Personal Information
Residence
Edinburgh, SCO
Sport Specific Information
Name of coach
Steven Tigg [club]; Bradley Hay [club]

 Competition Highlights
World Championships
Rank Year Venue Event Result
6 2013 Barcelona, ESP 200m Backstroke 1:55.67
European Championships
Rank Year Venue Event Result
Heats 2018 Glasgow, SCO 200m Backstroke 1:59.58
European Championships Short Course
Rank Year Venue Event Result
Semifinal 2013 Herning, DEN 100m Backstroke 52.19
Heats 2013 Herning, DEN 200m Backstroke 1:55.01
Heats 2013 Herning, DEN 50m Backstroke 25.30