Scott Claims First Scottish Gold Of Glasgow at Home-Town Games
Duncan Scott, the most medalled British swimmer in Olympic history, with eight ultimate orbs, continued his bull run with a 1:56.38 victory to get Glasgow Commonwealth To A Golden Start for the hosts ahead of Kiwi Lewis Clareburt and Englishman Tom Dean
Duncan Scott gave the home crowd a golden start to the Glasgow Commonwealths with a 1:56.38 Games-record victory in the 200m medley at the packed Tollcross International Pool in the city of the victor's birth.
Silver was close and catching, Scott the Scot in lane 2, Kiwi Lewis Clareburt in lane 6 on the Scot's blindside as he thundered home in the fastest freestyle split in the race, 27.65 for silver in a New Zealand record of 1:56.77, England's Tom Dean powering home in 27.97 for bronze in 1:57.22
By then, Scott had done enough, having turned 1.28sec up on the closest contender at the last turn. Scott's victory makes him just the third man ever to retain the 200 medley crown since the events' introduction in 1970.
Duncan Scott celibrates victory in front of a home crowd in Glasgow - photo by Ian McNicol
He joins the double winners club alongside pioneering legend and double Olympic champion of 1984 Alex Baumann, of Canada, and Australian Matt Dunn in the 1990s.
History did not stop there: July 24 marked the 50th anniversary of Scotsman David Wilkie's iconic world-record victory in the 200m breaststroke at the Montreal 1976 Olympic Games. Wilkie passed away in 2024 after battling cancer, but his son Adam toasted his father's achievements alongside dignitaries ands host of Team Scotland stars past and present at the Team Scotland House before finals yesterday.
Craig Lord
Craig Lord
Craig Lord
Silver for Clareburt, meanwhile, hints at the 400IM storm to come as the Australia-based New Zealander defends the crown in Glasgow, among his closest rivals England's Max Litchfield, fifth tonight and fourth in the 400IM at the last two Olympic Games, still hungry for more.
The Podium Splits: Scott - Clareburton - Dean
The most-medalled British swimmer in Olympic history, Scott was roared on by a Tartan Army in "The Scott Stand". It used to be block B at Tollcross. Now it has his name on it in honour of a Glasgow-born all-round ace who made it 14 Commonwealth podiums for Scotland in the medley final before dashing off to get ready for the 4x100m free relay.
Scott could yet add another four medals to his count by the time the swimming ends next Wednesday evening. Should he achieve that he would have surpassed the 18 medals record haul at Commonwealths held by three athletes, England's Mick Gault, Australia's Philip Adams - both shooters - and South African swimmer Chad Le Clos, who is in Glasgow to break the tie.
Scott's tally is topped by four golds from 2018, 2022 and 2026. He recalls his senior debut at the 2014 Games in the same pool as one of his fondest memories: " ... walking out as a 17 year old, and the number of Scottish Saltires, being part of a relay … that's when I fell in love with competitive swimming". That relay delivered his first major senior medal, a silver with Scotland teammates in the 4x200m freestyle behind Australia as the first home nation home that day.
Scott, whose eight Olympic medals since 2016 tie him with cyclist Bradley Wiggins as second most decorated British Olympian ever - after another cyclist, Jason Kenny and his nine - has swum faster than today's effort on 10 previous occasions.
Tonight in Glasgow, here was a sense that he was going for the win, the biggest test of peak form to come at the European Championships in Paris next month when he faces the man he finished second to at Paris 2024, the hero of a home Olympics, four-times champion Léon Marchand.
Scott's Commonwealth record of 1:55.28 dates back to silver at the Tokyo Olympic Games behind Wang Shun, A Chinese rival who has tested positive for banned substances twice in his career but never been penalised.
Scott spoke of the relief he felt at having opened Scotland's gold account:
“You really want to get the team under some good momentum early doors. Being one of the senior members of the team, the onus is kind of me. Yeah, I was a wee bit nervous before that. Those boys made it tough. Look, I am happy with that. A good way to start the week.
“The crowd were pretty special. Even Birmingham 2022, any time the UK hosts any sporting event, the crowd get behind us. The atmosphere was unreal then – and it was the exact same here. It was awesome."
With a nod to his training partner Tom Dean at the University of Stirling performance centre led by coach Ben Higson, Scott added: "Both of us should be happy with – one coach, two medals in that race.”
Dean, 26, who claimed a second medal on day 1 as a member of England's 4x100m freestyle quartets, having swum heats, said:
“I have raced Duncan my whole adult career. We stood on the podium of this event four years ago. To stand next to him, to walk out with him in front of his crowd, it was something I will never forget. I am fortunate to call him a training partner as well as a friend."
The two were Great Britain's 1-2 punch at the Tokyo Olympic Games, Dean the champion, Scott the silver medallist by 0.04sec in the 200m freestyle.
This evening in Glasgow, it was Scott's turn to hear the anthem for his gold, a different anthem, the crowd giving him a moving rendition of "Flower of Scotland".
Today, he took to the blocks as defending champion in the 200m medley as a man with 49 podiums in his pantheon for Great Britain and Scotland. The roll of honour is topped by eight Olympic medals, two golds in the 4x200m free, and six silvers, one of them in the 200m medley at Tokyo in 2021 behind Wang Shun, a Chinese swimmer whose career includes two positive doping tests, neither of which resulted in suspension.
After the medals ceremony, Scott was asked how he rated his performance:
“Yeah, I said to Ben there, I think the heat, semi and final at a Worlds or Olympics actually really helps me. I seem to learn a bit more each time. But, yeah, I just wanted to try and take it out. A really good backstroke split in there and good learning. Obviously got that event at Europeans as well. So I guess from the swimming side of thing that was the focus. But also from a more emotional standpoint and from the team, it was like trying to get the momentum going and a bit of a weight on the shoulders for that. But I’m glad and more of a relief rather than anything else.”
The next question was about how long he'd "sit with the result". He beamed as he noted:
“Oh, I’ve got the relay now, so probably about 20 minutes. Yeah, it’s tricky. I think it doesn’t matter how high or low I feel emotionally, it doesn’t matter if it’s a really good performance or if it’s a really bad one. Something I’ve always done quite well at a lot of major meets is evaluate it at the end of the week. Which I guess when you’re reflecting back, sometimes I’ve probably not taken the highs as well as I could have. But that also means that I can be really good when it comes to day six, day seven, day eight of competitions and things like that. So, yeah, it’s one that I’ll probably saviour and really think about once the meet’s over.”
Would victory be a springboard for Scottish success at the Games it saved after Australia withdrew?
“Hopefully. The swim team this morning did a great job. Obviously, the final session tonight has just begun, so hopefully plenty more medals to come. But, yeah, hopefully it’s the start of plenty to come.”
And then - how would he celebrate this win - 'with a protein shake and a lasagne'.
"Suppressing the urge to laugh out loud, Scott replied: “Yeah, jeez, I’m mental. It’s a tough one, you know, obviously. It’s a long meeting. I might not be racing much tomorrow, but it’s still the recovery process. You still want to be good when it, as I’ve already said, comes day five, day six and stuff like that. So, the recovery process starts now, but then also getting ready for the relay, which is up pretty soon. So, I don’t know how I’ll celebrate – probably an early night.”
Which led to an Australian colleague asking: Do you have any message for Australia who didn’t hold these Games and enabled you to have a Home Games?
“Yeah, thank you. Look, I think there’s been lots of question marks about the Commonwealth Games. Scotland has done a magnificent thing of being able to put their hand up and take it on over such short notice. And, obviously, it’s a slightly reduced format, but India have already taken on the next one. I think it’s the world’s biggest stadium where it’s being hosted. And they’re wanting to fully size it back up again, which hopefully is the continuation of what is an incredible competition. So, yeah, I think Scotland deserves a lot of credit for that.”
In other Day 1 action, Australia excelled:
Craig Lord
There to watch it all unfold was Adam Wilkie, who is taking a year off work on a mission to raise money for the SportsAid charity that funded his father's journey to Montreal in 1976 by getting as close as he can to the pioneering 2mins 15.11 that delivered gold for Great Britain. Adam is writing a Diary in The Times charting his odyssey
Wilkie junior has also been picking up Braveheart tips from Duncan Scott of late, the home-nation rivalry a part of the fun in the fight for the British boys in the week ahead.
Sunday's 4x200m freestyle relay will see five Olympic champions for Britain in Paris race for four different nations between them: Scott for Scotland, Dean and James Guy for England, Guy's Manchester training partner Matt Richards for Wales and the Olympic and then World champion with them, Jack McMillan, Scott and Dean's training partner in Stirling and racing for Northern Ireland.
So, imagine the smoke rising from the water when they all clash in the solo 200m freestyle on the last day of racing next Wednesday. Scott, Dean, Guy and Richards are not only the first precise-same quartet in any swimming relay in Olympic waters ever to retain an Olympic title in the 124 years in which it might have happened.
Dean has Olympic gold, Scott silver, while Guy (2025) and Richards (2022) have a World title each in the event. McMillan, racing at his debut senior Commonwealths, is hungry for a place on the LA2028 Olympic squad, and Scott has talked about being "thrilled to see Jack and others coming through the ranks and challenging for their places ... it keeps us all on our toes."
