There are not many things towering swimmer Dean Fearn can’t reach.
Aged just 15, the Stonehaven schoolboy is already an astonishing 6ft 4in.
But this week, Dean will stretch to new heights as he competes in the prestigious European Youth Olympics.
At the event in Maribor, Slovenia, he will take on competitors two years older than him – and in some cases even taller.
Yet Dean has his sights set on even rarer altitudes.
“The Los Angeles Olympics in 2028,” he says, confidently. “That’s the one that’s looking doable.”
The idea of Dean grabbing Olympic gold for Great Britain in five years’ time is not complete pie in the sky.
He is one of only three Scottish swimmers taking part at this year’s Youth Olympics – a traditional breeding ground for Summer Olympic medalists – and the only one from the north and north-east.
And last year, he caught the attention of the UK swimming world when he won a record-breaking haul of medals at the Speedo British Swimming Summer Championships in Sheffield.
Dean took home an amazing four golds and a silver, breaking numerous British age-group records along the way.
Why training in Duthie Park has sparked success in the pool
But what many don’t know is that his success is only partly down to training in the pool with his coaches at swim club Aberdeen Dolphins.
Over the past year, the swimmer has been putting in some hard yards on the more solid ground of the city’s Duthie Park.
That’s where he trains with Aberdeen strength and conditioning coach Sean Strachan, who has taken Dean under his wing to help make him stronger in the pool.
Under Sean’s watchful eye, Dean is lifting weights and running sprints, work that is already reaping dividends.
The young swimmer says the land training has been the platform for his recent successes.
“Sean has worked many, many hours with me,” he explains. “It helps massively. I just feel much better when I’m in the pool and outside the pool.”
Sean says he knew Dean was special the moment he met him, which is why he decided to sponsor the schoolboy.
Sean invests the money he makes from his six PT classes in Stonehaven and Aberdeen every week into paying for Dean’s training and supplements.
The coach says he wants to help young athletes from the area realise their full potential. He will launch a search for a second athlete to take on if he can attract 10 more people to his Chisel and Tone PT classes.
“There could be a kid out there that’s not got the funds to train or to afford to eat the right protein and food every day,” he adds. “I would make sure they have everything they need.”
What races will Dean Fearn compete in at the Youth Olympics?
For now, Sean is focussed on Dean, and helping him achieve his Olympic dreams. This week’s Youth Olympics is a great start, though Dean’s chances are slightly handicapped by his age.
The event is only held every two years and its timing means that 15-year-old Dean will race against some 17-year-olds.
He will compete all this week in backstroke and butterfly, from 50 metres to 200 metres.
Once the Youth Olympics are out of the way, Dean has a quick turnaround for the 2023 Commonwealth Youth Games in Trinidad and Tobago, which starts on August 4.
It’s a busy summer for Dean.
But whatever happens, Sean is confident his young charge can reach the top – not least because the Lathallan School pupil still has at least an extra couple of inches to grow.
However, though Dean is the third tallest at his school in Johnshaven – and the tallest in his year – there’s a good chance he may not end up the tallest in his family.
His little brother Kai, a talented rugby player, is only 13-years-old but already 6ft 2in.
