The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Joy for Milne as GB team strikes freestyle gold
In swimming, the 4x200m freestyle relay is regarded as the ultimate test of a nation’s depth – Britain has now won back-to-back world titles to underline its status as a rising force in the sport.
Yesterday in Budapest the quartet of Stephen Milne (Perth City Swim Club), Nicholas Grainger, Duncan Scott and James Guy produced one of the performances of the meet as they stunned Russia and the USA to retain the title won in Kazan.
Guy anchored the team home, his sensational split of 1:43.80 bringing the house down.
Scott has been the nearly man of the week so far, narrowly missing out on medals in both the 100m and 200m freestyle.
Milne, meanwhile, has had to stew on a disappointing 400m freestyle on the opening day, but came back to lead off the relay in both heat and final.
And after improving on the performance that had seen them take silver in Rio last year, Milne believes there is more to come from the team.
“It’s a great way to end season to be world champion, especially with these guys as well,” said Milne, who posted a split of 1:47.25.
“I’ve known them for ages, to come back as well from Rio, we swam two seconds faster, it’s a great way to bounce back from that.
“As we transition for the next three or four years to the next Olympics, it’s promising.
“There is great depth at the moment and hopefully it continues to progress and I’m sure it will. There’s still guys at home who could be there in a few years’ time as well. There is massive competition which is great for us and keeps us on our toes.”
You can help the next generation of young British swimmers by getting involved in SportsAid Week this September with five-time Paralympic champion Ellie Simmonds. Find out more about how you can support the week of fun and fundraising by visitingsportsaid.org.uk/sportsaidweek.