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Duncan Scott hails Team GB's swimmers ahead of Olympics

Duncan Scott hails Team GB's swimmers ahead of Olympics
© Reuters
The Scot won two silver medals at the Rio Games in 2016.

European and Commonwealth champion Duncan Scott says Team GB are in a "phenomenal position" as the swimmers hope to go one better than their 4x200m freestyle silver from Rio.

The 24-year-old was part of that relay and also helped the team to another silver in the 4×100 medley at the 2016 Games, and he added the future looked bright for the swim squad beyond Tokyo.

Scott said: "The 4x200m is in a phenomenal position, (but) we can't get complacent.

"Our individual times added up are really good, but it's nothing to say that other countries won't drop and we need to go there and be at our absolute best to be really competitive.

"A lot of the relay teams that I'm part of are really good which I always enjoy being a part of.

"We've got a lot of youngsters in that team (4x100m) – mental that I'm one of the oldest in that team at 24 – and I think that's really exciting, not only for this Olympics but potentially for later ones as well.

"Maybe a bit more for Paris and thereafter, but there's no reason why we can't go into these Olympics with some really high ambitions which is really exciting."

Scott set personal bests at the British trials in the 200m freestyle and individual medley and said his best could be yet to come.

"(I came) out knowing I can do quite a few things differently, happyish with the way that I swam them but I think I can clean quite a few bits up and the way I was building or attacking certain elements in the race weren't the way that I wanted to do it," he said.

"I have times that I want to achieve and there are times that I think I can go quicker but at the end of the day it's the Olympics, as much as times are great, if I can get through the rounds and if I can put myself in a position to be in an Olympic final then for me times go out the window at that point. It's a race."

Glasgow-born Scott helped Britain to a 4x100m medley gold medal at the 2019 World Championships at Gwangju, and rose to greater prominence when he refused to share the podium with gold medallist Sun Yang after claiming bronze in the 200m freestyle.

Yang had previously been banned for doping offences.

He said: "Doing and making that stance was for a purpose of clean sport, it was nothing personal against anyone and I think that was seen in the right way."

Questioned on whether he was concerned about a perceived drop in drug testing during the pandemic, he said: "It's not something I've thought about. I know if I swim at my best, I'll be there or thereabouts, I did some nice drops at the trials and for me, I've really got to focus on myself.

"Swimming is not like many team sports, it's a bit like athletics in that we get our own lane. You can't influence what someone else does in the lane next to you, so you've just got to focus on your own race."

Regardless of what happens in the pool, Scott will have reason to look back on 2021 with pride having finished a degree in Business and Sports Studies at the University of Stirling last month.

He said: "I think half way through my second year, I was like 'I need to try and work something out with the uni, I'm finding this really difficult to manage'.

"I did my first two years full-time, and I split third and fourth year up. I would have finished in 2020 but I decided to take January to June out, I was like 'Oh, the Olympics, I'll take that out', but it never happened.

"I did really enjoy it and I found it really challenging. Being dyslexic and not really enjoying school too much and being stuck in a classroom, I'm really proud of the fact I was able to get a 2:1."

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Adam Peaty poses with his gold medal on July 24, 2019
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Olympic medal table header
CountryGold medalSilver MedalBronze MedalT
JapanJapan114520
ChinaChina105823
United StatesUnited States99927
Olympics flagOlympic Athletes from Russia77418
AustraliaAustralia61714
Great BritainGreat Britain46414
Today's Olympic highlights header

Wednesday's key events


ROWING
· Team GB have dominated the men's coxless fours in recent Olympics, winning on each of the last five occasions, but this year they face some stiff competition. They are one of four rowing medal contenders for Great Britain today (2.10am)

SWIMMING
· Katie Ledecky and Ariarne Titmus face off again in the women's 200m freestyle final, with the latter having already come out on top in the 400m event (2.41am)
· Team GB's Abbie Wood is among the medal contenders in the women's 200m individual medley final, while teammate Alicia Wilson will also take part. USA's Kate Douglass was the fastest qualifier, while world and Olympic record holder Katinka Hosszu is also involved (3.45am)
· Katie Ledecky could make it two golds in one morning as she goes into the 1500m freestyle final as heavy favourite, having broken the Olympic record in qualifying (3.54am)
· Team GB were by far the fastest qualifiers for the men's 4x200m freestyle relay final and will therefore be favourites for another gold in the pool (4.26am)

RUGBY SEVENS
· Team GB take on New Zealand in the first men's semi-final, having been beaten by reigning champions Fiji but then come from behind to overcome USA on day two (3am)
· The sevens gold medal match takes place at Tokyo Stadium, with the winner of Great Britain vs. New Zealand taking on either Argentina or Fiji (10am)

ARTISTIC GYMNASTICS
· Joe Fraser and James Hall compete for Team GB in the men's all-around final (11.15am-2.10pm)

CYCLING
· Anna Shackley will take part in the women's road time trial (from 3.30am)
· Geraint Thomas and Tao Geoghegan Hart have medal ambitions for Great Britain in the men's road time trial, although both will need to recover from the crash they suffered on Saturday (6am)

DIVING
· Jack Laugher bids to retain his men's 3m synchro diving title alongside new partner Daniel Goodfellow (7am)

EQUESTRIAN
· Charlotte Dujardin will look to add to her already legendary status with a third successive Olympic individual dressage title (9.30am-1.25pm)

> Today's schedule in full
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