DAN Q&A: Catch up with Dan Pepper

How’s everything going so far this season?

It’s going alright thank you. I’m training really hard – I can barely move at the moment!

Fitness, strength, technique – everything is happening in your body basically. I want to sleep all the time and that’s about it!

How pleased were you to come away with a gold and silver from the Europeans last season?

Yep, I pb-d in both my events so I can’t ask for much more than that. Two British records as well. I think the only thing is that I would have liked to go a little bit faster on the 100m Breaststroke [in which Dan won silver] than I did so I’m really spending a lot of time on the breaststroke technique at the moment.

Technique is a big one with me because I tend to get in and then just bash it – pure strength through the water.

Did you have a long break after the Europeans?

I had two weeks off after Euros – I went away with mates and the Mrs. We went down to Newquay and did a bit of surfing which is something I love to do. We got the board on the roof and drove down.

Me and Ben are great rivals in the pool but we’re the best of mates out of the pool so he came with us and we had a great laugh really.

We always meet up and go out for food outside of training as well. People say your rivals when you retire end up being your best mates but we’ve done it before – we’re already good mates.

How else do you like to unwind outside the pool?

We go out for tea – eating tea that is. Then the Mrs likes to go shopping and stuff like that. Otherwise it’s just going to the pub and play pool – I’ll drive though and have a soft drink.

It’s good having mates around you who understand when you say I’ve got to go at nine o’clock because I’ve got training tomorrow.