Usually he likes to, to ease the nerves.

“I was like a boxer – I was ready to go,” the Tamworth City swimmer said.

Already boasting a silver and a bronze from the meet, Roberts executed his race plan to perfection to win the gold, and complete his set.

He was still on a high when he spoke to the Leader on Wednesday, although he was was “trying not to get too overwhelmed” with the 200 backstroke final to come later in the night.

He was seeded fastest for the final after swimming a six second personal best.

It has been a sensational meet for the 16-year old with his gold following silver in the 100m backstroke and bronze in the 400m individual medley.

On top of that he has made the final in six of his nine events, eclipsed his personal best virtually every time he hit the water, and swum five nationals qualifying times.

He had earlier on Tuesday night finished sixth in the 100m butterfly.

“I was happy with it. It was a pb but I think my mind was on the 200m,” he said.

It was seven races later.

Sixth after the butterfly leg, Roberts through the backstroke pushed up to fourth.

Making his move in the breaststroke he turned in front into the freestyle and powered home to touch the wall in a new personal best time of 2minutes 07.57seconds.

“The breaststroke is the key to swimming a good im because if you can turn into the freestyle in front of everyone else you can build a lead on them,” he said.

He was after his heat swim pretty confident going into the final.

“I knew in the heats that the boys were already scared. I could hear them talking about me,” he said.

But it wasn’t the medal, or the colour of it, that he was most satisfied about.

“It was more the time,” he said.

“If I’d have come 10th and got that time I would have been stoked.”

He shaved almost six seconds off his heat swim, which was a four second pb.

“I went in there with 2mins 15 and came out with 2mins 07,” he said.