Scott could be given six shots at Tokyo gold

Aside from the incomparable Adam Peaty, no swimmer from these shores will land in Tokyo this summer with starrier forecasts than former Strathallan School pupil Duncan Scott.

Confirmed yesterday in a 28-strong initial British squad for the postponed Olympic Games, the 23-year-old Scot could be afforded up to six opportunities to strike gold and craft history.

A gruelling 10 days awaits him in late July.

“I’m aware of how difficult the programme is,” said Scott, pictured.

“It’s going to be really challenging, and I think I will find it tough. It’s going to probably be a lot harder than Commonwealth Games where I had a lot of back-to-back racing.”

He will assuredly attempt the 100 and 200 metres freestyle and the 200m individual medley, plus a raft of relays.

He added: “I’d like to think over the last four or five years and beyond, this is something we’ve been targeting.”

A double relay silver medallist at the Rio 2016 Games, he will head east with four of his Stirling University team-mates with Ross Murdoch taking the plunge in the breaststroke, Fifer Kathleen Dawson and Edinburgh-born Cassie Wild providing a twin assault in the backstroke and Teessider Aimee Willmott taking a medley shot.

High hopes abound with Peaty as close to a certainty in the pool as is imaginable.

With world, European and Commonwealth titles in his locker since his Olympic debut, Scott has no reason to peer into the water with any fear. “I’ll probably just go in there executing what I want to execute in each of my races,” he said.

“I’ve got certain race plans that I’m looking to try and do. And the relay events have got massive potential.”

Team chiefs will assess his workload before finalising those calls following next month’s European Championships in Budapest.

“I think the 4x200 is a given and so is the medley relay,” he said.

“With those, we’ve had great results in the past. We’re definitely looking into that.”

There will be a handful of places in the final squad for Tokyo left open until after the Euros and June’s concluding selection meeting in Glasgow.