Quiet and unassuming Proud a force to be reckoned with

Proud qualified fourth for the 50m butterfly final in Budapest in July, but stole the show in the medal race to touch the wall first and secure the gold medal.

But with the 23-year-old also taking home bronze in the 50m freestyle from the same meet, Jamieson is confident this is only the start for the swimmer.

That's because Proud boasts a unique skill of juggling mental application with physical ability, leaving Jamieson intrigued as to what 2018 will hold for a man with two Commonwealth Games titles to defend.

"One of his major strengths is his temperament – he's a quiet and unassuming individual, very thorough in his approach and preparation," said Jamieson, speaking at a forum for Not a Red Card, a campaign by financial services company Legal & General aimed at using sport as a means of tackling the stigma surrounding mental health.

"He's incredibly gifted and it will be interesting to see how he gets on this season.

"I think until this year, he undoubtedly had the best start in swimming.

"But now we have the American swimmer Caeleb Dressel (a seven-time gold medallist at the 2017 World Championships) who is taking things to another level.

"I'm sure Ben will be looking at that ad how to improve those areas to match him."

Sportsbeat 2017