TOKYO CALLING FOR SWIMMING STAR DUNCAN
LAST YEAR’S POSTPONEMENT OF THE OLYMPICS HAS ONLY STRENGTHENED DUNCAN SCOTT’S RESOLVE TO BE FEARLESS IN PURSUIT OF GOLD THIS SUMMER
IN OrDEr to be faultless, the greatest competitors must be fearless. Bravery on the biggest stage in the world is an absolute necessity.
The wait goes on. But it’s getting closer. Having been given a fright by its postponement in 2020, the Olympics in Tokyo are, fingers crossed, coming into sight.
For Duncan Scott, the plan remains the same in 2021. His focus has not shifted despite the delay. If anything, the period of extra time to prepare for this sporting extravaganza has only been a bonus to perfect his techniques in the pool.
Confirmation of his selection for the Games brings a great deal of clarity after a year which has thrown obstacles in the path of even the most experienced and confident athletes.
Scott, alongside Olympic champion Adam Peaty, James Wilby and Luke Greenbank, has been included after British Swimming revised its selection policy due to the impact of Covid-19.
The quartet achieved the required qualifying times at the World Championships in Gwangju, South Korea, in 2019. Scott clinched gold in the 4x100metres medley relay and 200m freestyle bronze. It means Scott, who won two silvers in 2016, will not be required to repeat those times at the British Olympic trials in April.
Already, the 23-year-old’s build-up to Tokyo has seen him set British records in the 200m freestyle, with a time of 1:40:76, and the 200m individual medley at the International Swimming League in Budapest in November.
Every detail is being assessed. Each training session carries a great deal of significance. Nerves may be natural but he has shown he can handle the heat.
‘He’s a great competitor and he thrives on it,’ says Scott’s awardwinning coach Steven Tigg, who will travel with Team GB to Tokyo. ‘He loves racing. It’s something we’ve always tried to encourage with all the athletes — developing that ability to be fearless in the arena. There’s no challenge that he should be afraid of.
‘The biggest challenge is the one against yourself. It’s not about other people and their expectations. The expectations of what he wants to achieve are his and he owns them.
‘It’s about finding that greater purpose. Challenging yourself to be the best you can be and learning from all the experiences.
‘Duncan’s advantage is that since the Commonwealth Games in 2014, he’s always had that opportunity to go to an international meet and learn.
‘People probably remember the times when he has won. But there have been a lot of times when he was in fourth place or it was a bit of a disappointment. They are really important as well because you have highs and lows.
‘It’s about having the willingness and ability to step up. We have a lot of swimmers in the same position and that is what they are willing to do. We are hoping a few more can breakthrough into that spotlight.’
Scott’s performances in the Hungarian capital merely served as a reminder of what he is capable of. His astonishing haul of six medals at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games in 2018 — making him the most decorated Scottish athlete at a single Games — remains an extraordinary achievement.
And now, as he aims to be Scotland’s first Olympic gold medallist in the pool since David Wilkie in 1976, the incentive to create fresh sporting history cannot be understated.
For a man who has ‘mastered’ his preparation for the biggest events, there is a hunger to deliver again after the complications of coronavirus restrictions.
‘We competed at the ISL in Budapest for six weeks,’ Tigg tells Sportsmail. ‘We were training in a bubble with the best athletes, competing and racing. It was an opportunity to go back to that craft.
‘By the time the final came around, we were trying to peak at the right time to measure that peak from the year before when there was more normality.
‘We wanted also to assess the impact on performance after being out the pool. We found that, across the board, the athletes were faster than they ever have been. Duncan was no different. We’ve got a lot of confidence now. We didn’t think performance levels would have been hindered.
‘It’s been enhanced for everyone else. That forced period of regeneration from a psychological and physical point of view has helped. Everybody’s appetite and appreciation for the sport is very, very high. That makes it really exciting.
‘Duncan has mastered being able to get himself in the best shape for the international events.
‘There has been moments when you’ve gone into an event with a world-leading time and, to be honest, nobody cares. It’s about how you perform when you’re there. Times are a bit irrelevant. It’s about how well you race.’
Scott and his fellow Stirling swimmers faced an anxious wait for news as pools remained closed during lockdown before the elite athletes returned in July.
Being back in familiar waters has boosted all concerned, with the University of Stirling’s new £20million sports facility having also opened in November.
The hard work continues among these ‘impressive’ resources. Assuming all goes to plan, the countdown to the greatest show on earth is very much on.
‘It doesn’t change the process of the preparation going into Tokyo,’ stresses Tigg of Scott’s pre-selection. ‘But what it does is gives certainty in such an uncertain time.
‘It gives us flexibility around different things in the lead up to Tokyo.
‘Without it, we would have been really focused on executing well at the trials in April with the thought in the back of your mind: “What if these trials are cancelled? What point might they be cancelled and what impact would that have on the summer?”.
‘We’ll now peak for the trials to secure events.
‘The nomination only puts you on the team — it doesn’t guarantee you the races you would want to do in Tokyo. You still need to go to the trials and make sure the events you want to swim can be done.’
The personal sacrifices are significant, too, for the coaches and support staff who witness every step of the journey.
Plotting a path to sporting glory has never lacked complications, even before the world had to deal with coronavirus chaos.
‘You are always planning your personal life around these major international events,’ adds Tigg. ‘We give a lot of our time to the athletes, maybe sometimes at the expense of family.
‘I had planned, after the Olympics, to take an extended break and travel. But that’s been knocked on the head. After Tokyo, we’ve only got three years till the next Olympics.
‘I’ve not thought too much about the Olympics myself. It’s been about trying to identify how we can ensure that we can provide an environment for the athletes to train as safely as possible.
‘We’re really fortunate at the university, with the government, sportscotland and Scottish Swimming, going above and beyond to provide the resources to ensure we can do that.
‘That helps the athletes knowing they can go to work, effectively, on a daily basis and be safe.
‘From a personal point of view, we’re actually getting a second chance at the Olympics here.’