Scott is going to need a bigger case for Tokyo
If Rio is his ‘bonus Games’ then Alloa swimmer will be bringing home a caseful of medals in 2020, By Graeme Macpherson
WHEN the time comes for Duncan Scott to assess everything he has achieved during an astonishing week in Rio, he may puff out his cheeks, exhale slowly and wonder to himself: how the heck do I improve on this?
Scott was one of the Sunday Herald’s Six to Follow ahead of these Games, but this wasn’t meant to be his time to shine. He said so regularly himself over the past year, as did his coach Steve Tigg. The phrase being used was that this was almost like a “bonus Olympics” for the 19 year-old from Alloa. The expectation was that he would peak in Tokyo in 2020. If that is the case, then he should expect to pay for excess baggage on his trip home from Japan, his suitcase laden with a raft of gold, silver and bronze medals.
That is the benchmark he has set now. Winning the 100m freestyle at the British trials in Glasgow in April gave him a crack at his first individual race at a major senior games and he did not waste the opportunity. A national record in the heats of 48.01 carried him into the semi-finals where he then finished fourth. In the final he matched his time from the heats by claiming fifth place. A lot can change in four years, of course, but it tells the story of an athlete progressing almost effortlessly towards the highest echelon of his sport.
A more tangible reward came in the 4x200m freestyle relay event. And it was a moment to cherish. Scott was one of four Scots to lead Team GB to the final by winning their heat where, with James Guy in for Scott’s Stirling team-mate Robbie Renwick, they finished a creditable second to the Americans in the final. A silver medal was not his only reward – the photo of Scott and Michael Phelps, the greatest swimmer of all time, greeting each other at the end of the race is one the young Scot will almost certainly be hanging on his wall in his University of Stirling flat.
Olympic medallists are naturally not created overnight. Scott has worked hard to reach this point, putting in the hours before and after school and university, swimming length after length and sacrificing many other aspects of teenage life. He spent his formative years at Strathallan boarding school in Perthshire where he was coached by Elaine Johnston, herself a former elite swimmer who competed in the 1986 Commonwealth Games. Scott’s success, she hopes, will serve to inspire the next generation.
“I’ve been working at Strathallan this week running a multi-sport camp and the swimmers there are coming in absolutely buzzing with what Duncan and the others have achieved,” she said. “They’ve all been getting up at 3am to watch it as they’re that excited about it. So Duncan is a great inspiration as someone from a normal background who has gone on to hit those heights through hard work and dedication. That’s a great legacy. He came back to the school after he won his Commonwealth Games medal and everyone was amazed. This takes it to another level.”
Johnston worked closely with Scott almost
With a squad of boys there is scope for some nonsense but Duncan was never any bother
every day for six years, but even she is surprised by how much he has achieved so soon.
“When he came in to the school he was just 12, so you never know how it will pan out,” she said. “But year after year he progressed to the next level, moving through the Scottish rankings, into nationals and up eventually into senior teams. He always had potential but his swims this week have been absolutely outstanding. He’s not fully grown or developed so there is definitely more to come from him. These Games were almost like a stepping stone and anything he got here was a bonus. You just hope he can keep it going and achieve even more in Tokyo.”
Johnston recalls Scott as someone with a capacity for mischief out of the pool but wholly dedicated when in the water. “The good thing about Strathallan was that everything was on campus for him.
“He was in one of the closest boarding houses to the pool, in the pool by quarter past six for up to two hours, a big breakfast, then changed for school. After school it would be either to the gym for strength and conditioning, or back in the pool.
“It was hard work but he never resented it. He knew if he wanted to get to Rio or Tokyo this was what he had to do. With a squad of boys there’s scope for some nonsense, but Duncan was never any bother. We’re so pleased for him and hopefully he’ll come back to the school when he gets a minute and show us his Olympic medal.”