Duncan uses Olympics setback as training spur
The countdown to Tokyo is back on for Duncan Scott as the Scottish swimmer plots a second tilt at the Olympic Games.
Early August should have been a celebratory time for Scott and his fellow Team GB hopefuls, with this week circled in their calendars as the one in which Olympic dreams would be realised.
But with the coronavirus pandemic pushing the Games back by a year, the best-laid plans were put on ice in the most drastic way.
It was, understandably, a huge mental blow for Scott. But with all eyes on the future, the 23-year-old is holding on to the positives of being afforded another year to get physically, mentally and emotionally stronger before finally reaching Japan.
“It is really strange knowing now would be Games time. Considering we’ve been inside for the past four months, it doesn’t feel that we’re into August,” said Scott, one of 1,100 athletes on UK Sport’s World Class Programme, funded by The National Lottery and allowing access to world-class coaches, support and pioneering technology.
“Physically, I can’t see why it can’t be a positive at all. At 23, I’m still young, there’s no reason I can’t be better than I have been this year, even just through natural maturity.
“Mentally it was tough to begin with, it was challenging to have this competition in mind that we’ve been working to for three or four years suddenly be taken away from you.
“After a couple of weeks, I got over that and it was about looking at the positives – you can always be in a better physical shape and that’s what we’ve got to make sure we’re doing.
“There’s no reason why I can’t be better next year so it’s turned into a nice positive for me.”
A double Olympic medallist while a teenager in Rio, Scott knows what it takes to represent Team GB and win medals on the big stage. But there’s no risk of complacency for a man who has hit new heights since his swims in Brazil, becoming world relay champion and winning individual titles at European and Commonwealth level.
The best is still to come according to the man himself –he just doesn’t know when.
Scott said: “At 23, 24, Tokyo may be the pinnacle
but if it isn’t, then Paris 2024 might be, 2028 might be.
“The wonderful thing with sport is that you never know when you’re going to hit your peak, it’s just about trying to manipulate when you think you’re going to be at your best that year.
“I’m just going to go into Tokyo, should I qualify, with the same attitude I had for Rio.
“For me, my career is about longevity and continuing to make all the improvements.”
But Scott – who has helped contribute to the 864 medals won since National Lottery funding began in 1997 – knows it wouldn’t be possible without the support of those around him.
“National Lottery players have impacted on my career hugely,” he said. “There are so many elite athletes who benefit from this.
“It allows me to train full-time, have access to the world’s best facilities and give me the best chance of success.
“I have to say a big thankyou to the National Lottery players and to ask them to keep playing. Just by buying a ticket, they’ve allowed me to reach where I am today,”
No one does more to support our Olympic and Paralympic athletes than National Lottery players, who raise £30 million each week for good causes.
Discover the positive impact playing the National Lottery has at www.lottery goodcauses.org.uk/ stories/trackto-tokyo and #Trackto Tokyo #National
Lotteryathletes