Business as usual for Scott
SWIMMING: Rio has come and gone but lessons have been learned that will stand student in good stead, hears Graeme Macpherson
OLYMPIC glory has not dramatically altered Duncan Scott’s life. There has been the occasional public engagement on the back of the two silver medals he collected in Rio last year but beyond that it has been mainly business as usual for the 20-year-old from Alloa.
He is still ploughing on with his Business and Sports Studies degree at the University of Stirling – second year has been successfully ticked off – still shares a flat in the town with one of his swimming team-mates, and is still doing what most students do when they have time off: loafing around and watching daytime TV.
The one recent break from his routine, however, was somewhat surreal, Scott diving in to open a refurbished open-air pool in New Cumnock as Prince Charles and the supermodel Eva Herzigova looked on. It sounds like the sort of dream you might have after an evening spent eating too much exotic cheese.
“Yeah, that was a bit different,” said Scott, with typical understatement. “I had to jump into the pool and it was pretty cold that day! I got to meet the Prince briefly. He just congratulated me on the Olympics, although I think by that point he had spoken to everyone at the place. And I got to meet Eva, too, which was nice. But I don’t do too many things like that. I’ve not been opening supermarkets or anything.”
That day out in Ayrshire was a rare and temporary distraction for Scott. For the other constant in his life that has not shifted in any way since last year’s Olympic success – that also included a fifth-place finish in the 100m freestyle final – is his commitment to continue developing as a swimmer.
He is in Rome this weekend competing in the Sette Colli event – he is scheduled to swim in the 100m freestyle today – as next month’s Fina world championships in Budapest inch ever closer into view.
He will then complete his preparations in more familiar surrounds, the Scottish National Open Swimming championships that take place in the Aberdeen Sports Village from Thursday until next Sunday. Scott, though, is planning on mixing it up a bit in his last meet before heading for Hungary. Rather than swimming his two favoured events – the 100m and 200m freestyle – he has elected to take a different approach and will compete instead in the 200m butterfly and 100m backstroke.
“I’ve always really enjoyed – and hope to keep enjoying – swimming at the Scottish nationals,” he said. “It’s a good meet and it’s fun. I’ll be going there looking to race fast as it’s the last competition I’ll be doing before worlds. So I don’t want to go there to put in a poor performance.
“It’s never been an event that I’ve had to really focus on as I went from being a junior swimmer – who had never really thought about the Scottish – to the next season being quite high up in Scottish swimming where I had worlds or something coming after. So it’s never been an event I’ve ever tapered or rested for. It’s always been the same: enjoy the competition and look at the processes rather than the times.
“This year will be slightly different as I’m not swimming my main events. I’m going to be doing 200m ’fly – which is harder than 200m free I think – and also 100m back which will be fun! I will not be showboating in that one – I’ll be happy to make the final. For me to do those events at the Scottish is important as I’m nowhere near established at them. I’ll need to give my best against some really strong competition.”
AND then, after that, all eyes will be on Budapest. Scott is not placing any great burden on himself to claim that elusive first individual international medal but there is little doubt that after Rio – and then becoming the first Briton to swim under 48 seconds at the 100m free at the British championships in Sheffield in April – he will be one to watch in a stellar field.
“It’s the first time I’ve done two individual events at an international meet so that’s the main difference this time,” he said. “So I’m looking forward to that. I’ve never done 200m free at this level before, and only ever been in one individual final. To go there and race against the best will be significant.
“I think there will be an expectation on the relay teams based on past performances. Individually, I’m just hoping to get through each round and see where I’m at – in the final hopefully. I’m not sure if I’m no longer under the radar but you can’t control what other people do or think anyway. It’s not something I really worry about or care about. I’m just looking forward to racing.”
The last world championships in Kazan two years ago was something of a breakthrough event for Scott. It was the first time he had competed against all the best in the world, coming away with a gold medal as part of the 4x200m free relay team. That experience, and then the Olympics, have allowed him to feel more comfortable at such star-studded swimming events. There will be no pangs of anxiety in Budapest.
“To get that exposure at that age and that level two years ago was really beneficial,” he added. “To compete against the world’s best the year before the Olympics was huge. I never swam that great but it was better to muck it up then rather than the next year at Rio! This feels like the level I’m at now and I’m happy with that. But I still need to keep improving.”