Medal for McLay in Sheffield

Perth swimmer Scott McLay was on the podium again at the British summer meet in Sheffield on Thursday.

Competing at the closing championship of the season, the former Strathallan School pupil followed up a win in the heats with a silver medal in the 100m freestyle.

The result brings to a close a frenetic summer competition programme which began with team bronze at the European Junior Championships and a record breaking medal haul at the Commonwealth Youth Games.

Making the team for the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games is next on the mind of an 18-year-old who said he was grateful for all of the support he’s received from fans back home.

He said: “It’s been a fantastic summer of racing and it’s been a real honour to swim for both GB and Scotland this year. Competing with Team Scotland in the Bahamas was an amazing experience.”

The Perth City Swim Club member added: “I’d like to thank everyone for their support – it has meant a lot.

“It’s a team effort and I couldn’t have done it without tmy club, my long-term coach, Ann Dickson, and everyone in the Tayside and Fife Institute of Sport.”

There was further good news for the Fair City club late last week after Olympian Stephen Milne came home with a medal from the FINA World Championships.

Milne, Nick Grainger, Duncan Scott – another former Strathallan pupil – and James Guy claimed Great Britain’s fourth gold of the Budapest meet with victory in the men’s 4x200m freestyle.

Britain finished in seven minutes 01.70 seconds, with Russia’s Mikhail Dovgalyuk, Mikhail Vekovishchev, Danila Izotov and Aleksandr Krasnykh 0.98 seconds behind in second.

Blake Pieroni, Townley Haas, Jack Conger and Zane Grothe of the United States took bronze, 1.48 seconds adrift.