The boys put me in a great positition
THE miracles of modern engineering have reduced the length of the Tollcross International Swimming Centre pool by 50 per cent to allow it to play host to the European Short Course championships this week and this goes down as a halfdecent start for the threestrong Scottish contingent in the GB team on day one.
With Adam Peaty opting to give it a miss, top billing goes to home favourite Duncan Scott and the Scot didn’t disappoint, the 22-year-old leading off in a Scottish record of 21.25 as the GB 4x50m freestyle squad qualified third fastest for the final then anchoring them home in fourth with a blistering 20.52 split.
So used to reeling competitors in during the home straight, Scott could have done with a few more metres to try to overhaul the Italians for third behind the Russians and the Poles down the stretch.
“It was alright, I don’t think any of us know what a good 4x50m is, so we are happy to take it,” said Scott. “There was no reeling in to do – the boys put me in a great position – although to get on the podium would have been a massive bonus. It is a bit different to what we are used to but we gave it a good shot.”
Also savouring the experience was Scott’s young countryman, and fellow Strathallan School pupil, Scott McLay. While the GB squad were back in seventh after his lead-off leg of 21.61, this young man from Perthshire, who is working towards his pilot’s licence can fly, as seen by the
PB he recorded yesterday in the 100m butterfly. James Guy and Joe Litchfield were the other two quarters of the group. “I was very happy with that PB and to be able to back it up with this swim tonight was even better,” said McLay.
With Scott back out this morning in the 200m freestyle, not quite such good news was the gauntlet being thrown down by his long-time Lithuanian rival Danas Rapsys.
The man who would have taken gold ahead of Sun Yang at this year’s longcourse world championships and perhaps avoided all the