TWO OUT OF THREE AIN’T BAD
Duncan will pass on Euros to deliver like a bat out of hell for summer double tilt
DUNCAN SCOTT has revealed he will throw everything at a golden double at this summer’s World Championships and Commonwealth Games – and give the Europeans a wide berth.
The six-time Olympic medallist will get one of his last warm-ups for his forthcoming global title shot in Budapest at the Glasgow International meeting which begins today.
It represents another gruelling slate for the 25-year-old who’s decided to opt in for the 400metres individual medley at the worlds following his British record at the recent UK trials in an event which sits outside his usual portfolio.
But one of the sport’s greatest Ironmen believes his original plan of a treble shot within two months would have left him struggling to stay afloat.
He said: “My whole longevity and continual improvement operates around the Olympics. What I want to get out of this year is around Worlds but then on top of that, a lot of the people that I’ve been closest with – that I’ve been training with and raced with – are going to retire after the Games.
“It’s quite important that I share that moment with them.
“If I was wanting to do a Europeans, I’d do it properly. I wouldn’t want to just go because I have to go. I’m not going to steal someone’s spot, it’s important a youngster get an insight into a major competition.
“Commonwealths is going to be quite nice to go up against the Aussies again and compete with a couple of the guys that I train with at the minute. Martyn Walton is someone that I’ve trained with for the last seven years. He’s already said that he’ll be stopping after the Games, so Birmingham’s quite a sentimental thing as well.”
Half the British team is tuning up at the Mare Nostrum in Barcelona, the other half at Tollcross with current training put to the test with the Worlds just 22 days away.
Scott, along with his coaches at Stirling University, is not yet at his peak but this will be a dress rehearsal for multiple challenges in the way of his first individual global crown.
He said: “Glasgow’s more to do with challenging myself in back-to-backs and putting myself under quite a bit of pressure, just to really see where I’m at in the races.
“In the finals, that’ll be quite apparent which will be quite good and it’ll really give me a good insight into where I’m at for the Worlds.”