The much-anticipated 200m freestyle, billed as the last-day showstopper here in Glasgow, is set: four of Britain's six Olympic gold medallists (heats and finals in Paris) are through, two are gone, including the one home-Games hero Duncan Scott, one of the four men who claimed gold for Britain in the 4x200m finals at the 2020ne and 2024 Games.

Here's how it went on the last day of heats, 2015 Worlds champion James Guy (ENG) leaving nothing to chance, 2020ne Olympic 200m free champion Tom Dean (ENG) the last man in, by 0.15sec, Matt Richards (WAL)`and Jack McMillan (NI) tucked safely in the middle of the fray, Australians Sam Short and Harrison Turner closest to Guy on the clock, Kiwi Lewis Clareburt and the last Dolphin through, Kai Taylor completing the line-up:

So, 4 Brits from three nations, 3 Australians and an in-form double defender New Zealander - with everything to battle for, Scott and Kieran Bird (12th in 1:49.18) taking their seats in the spectator stand this evening.

Silver in the bag in the 100m free last night, Matt Richards tells me:

"I'm over the moon with it. Anytime you're on the podium, it's got to be a great place to be. I'd be lying if I said I didn't want gold, so it';s a bittersweet one, but to be bested by someone who's gone 47.1, you can't complain about that. It;'s one of the great 100m swims in history, so if you're going to be beaten, you want to be beaten by that.

Hat's off to Flynn. It's given me lots got work on and a real fire in my belly for that 200 tomorrow."

The tiny margins there and back that add up to where the medals fall will spill from the 100 yesterday to the 200m this evening.

Being 0.2sec off his best at this stage in the season "bodes well for the quad" [to LA2028], said Richards. This morning, he made sure he's part of that curtain-closing thriller in Glasgow this evening.

The 200m final will see Sam Short attempt to achieve a feat no swimmer has ever accomplished in Commonwealth waters at one Games: a golden stretch from 200, through 400, 800 and, should he win the 1500m that follows the 200m this evening, all the way to the longest race in the pool.

So let the count begin. If he achieves that, he will leave Glasgow with five golds - and AUS$100,000 in his bank account.

Blazers appear none-too-keen to have athletes talk about the money they might make from their efforts at the Games, but Gina Reinhardt's investment in swimming makes mention of her fantastic contribution to the Dolphins a no-brainer: after four days, we're looking at 1.035 million Australian dollars from the Hancock Prospecting boss directly to swimmers.

It's $20k for gold, $15k for silver and $5k for bronze, each member of a winning relay also up for $5k.

Top of the list so far is Lani Pallister, who, assuming she wins the 1500m freestyle today, will leave Glasgow with $80,000

• 200m silver, 400, 800, 1500m and 4x200m gold = $80,000.
• and ... Jenna Forrester, with three golds and a bronze in solo events = $65,000
• and ... if Meg Harris wins the 50 free tonight, it'll be 2 solo golds and 3 relay golds = $55,000

And so on. Reinhardt is the richest person in Australia (net worth way over $30bn), and she doesn't shy from political opinion and some of those issues at the heart of what's often described as 'culture war'.

For swimmers, she's a fair godmother, as Pallister has said - with very good reason.

Links not the wider debate below the rest of the last-day qualifiers in heats:

Our recent FORUM mini-series

Part 1

FORUM: Where Will Swimming Find Patience Without Passivity On The Way To Growth?

Having considered just a few reasons why the jury is out on ‘reformists’ old and new at the top tables of international governance, our FORUM now turns to why traditional formats are misfiring. The Tao opens the way to deeper understanding of why League trumps Cup between Olympic Heights

State Of Swimming +Craig Lord

Part 2 

FORUM: How Will Swimming Break Dow Barriers To Building An Economy Fit To Pay The Swimmer?

In Part 1 of our latest FORUM mini-series, we asked why traditional race-day formats are misfiring. Today, in Part 2, we outline swimming’s economic model, consider prize money & bonuses build ‘a poor athlete’s sport’, & call on the athlete and coach voice to return with the League

State Of Swimming +Craig Lord

Part 3

FORUM: What Happened To The Swim In Swimbledon?

Part 3 - Swimming’s Search For Growth. It’s ten years since SwimVortex published a vision headlined “Great Day Out At Swimbledon At The Dawn of a Golden Era for Professional Swimmers”. Every bit as relevant today

State Of Swimming +Craig Lord

Part 4

FORUM - Has Swimming Lost Its Lore & Love of Storytelling?

“People are not interested in swimming ... they’re interested in swimmers”. So said Buck Dawson 40 years ago. In 2026, swimming is still treading water in its niche pool between Olympic Heights, with no pro-sports economy to speak of. What’s gone wrong & how can swimming spread its song of swimmers?

State Of Swimming +Craig Lord

Part 5

Time For Athletes To Make A Stand: Fair Pay For Fair Play Or No Show

FORUM: Have chance of an Olympic athlete boycott grown? Yes. Would it be easy? No. Would it work? Yes. Why? The perfect storm is building. The question is whether Olympic sports bosses see athletes for what they are: the hand that feeds that must be fed

State Of Swimming +Craig Lord

Part 6:

FORUM: Will This Season’s Athlete Bloom Be The One That Lifts The Olympic Game To Next Level?

By aping the Olympic status quo that says no matter how wealthy we become, sports stars should not be paid, Kirsty Coventry has triggered a revolution, in which the real Athlete Voice could finally be heard through the truly independent collective that is essential to change

State Of Swimming +Craig Lord

Part 7:

FORUM: Beautiful Game(s) , Beastly Governance. Time For Change

We extend our latest mini-series, one stretching along a spectrum from what swimming might do to achieve real growth to the Fair Pay for Fair Play debate, with a concluding Part 7, using the Beautiful Game as a guide to ugly structures and patterns long past their sell-by date

State Of Swimming +Craig Lord

Part 8

Forum: A Measure Of Medals In A Fund That Favours The Fed

As athletes call for Olympic fair pay for fair play to keep the Enhanced wolf from the door, World Aquatics launches a post-career compensation fund that feels a lot like a World-Cup attendance incentive scheme in a retirement wrapper for the few not the many needed to build a growth economy

State Of Swimming +Craig Lord

Editorials

Olympic Boss Of A Business Slipping Directors $55m A Cycle Tells Athletes ‘No Pay Day For You!’

Analysis: Kirsty Coventry says she doesn’t believe athletes should be paid for their work. Then again, she presides over a business that pays directors more in an Olympic cycle than any single international federation gets as a share of Olympic revenues for its entire sport

State Of Swimming +Craig Lord

How The Athlete Can Boycott Without Shutting Down Their Showcase Races & Spaces

Having heard from several keen minds since launching a well-received FORUM on the case for athletes getting a far fairer share of Olympic revenues than they do, here’s a map of coordinates where athletes can make their case powerfully without shooting themselves in the foot

State Of Swimming +Craig Lord

The Gulf Between Shores Where Integrity Sits On Shifting Sands

Enhanced waters having stilled, we take a last look at two sides of a coin from the perspective of two public posts by Australians, one a doctor working in the Enhanced project, the other from a talent agent who works with athletes in the realm of tested sport, with SOS commentary

State Of Swimming +Craig Lord