Duncan’s got his heart set on Olympic gold
Duncan Scott admits he is driven to add to his collection with a gold rush at his third Olympic Games in Paris this summer.
The swimming ace - who honed his skills at Strathallan School in Forgandenny - was officially handed a shot at adding to his tally of six medals when he was unveiled in a 33-strong British swimming squad in Stirling on Tuesday.
The 26-year-old was confirmed as one of five Scots headed to the French capital in July along with fellow Tokyo 2020 gold medallist Kathleen Dawson, freestyler Lucy Hope and debut duo Keanna Macinnes and Katie Shanahan.
Scott could opt for up to three individual swims at the Games after qualifying in the 100 and 200 metres freestyle, plus the 200m individual medley, at the recent UK trials with up to three relay shots on top.
And a first solo Olympic title will be top of the hit list when he takes the plunge in Paris.
He said:“the Olympics is the pinnacle of our sport. So it’s something that everyone dreams of becoming an Olympic champion in whatever event that may be in.
“So that’s one of the things that still drives me, along with many other elements in the sport as well whether that’s progression and technical progression times, other events, different competitions that I want to do well.
“And fortunately this year, there’s plenty of things are still driving me in the sport, which is good.”
He’ll form part of two men’s freestyle relay quartets that will be hot tips for glory with reigning Olympic 200m champion Tom Dean, 2023 world champion Matt Richards and medal magnet James Guy at his side.
And defending the 4x200 crown that saw him top the podium in Tokyo and set a British record of four medals by an athlete at a single Games is a huge target, Scott admits:“it’s both tough, but also really exciting for that 4×200 as well with the quality we’ve got,”he said. “I think the way my stroke is, it’s a little bit better when I’m more relaxed.”
The Paris Olympics will kick off on July 26 and run through to August 11, with the Team GB swimming squad hoping to continue the legacy of success the country has in the pool.
“I’m unbelievably grateful for the people that have got me back to this point,”added the 26-year-old.
“It has been a big test of believing in myself and my mental character, I guess.
“There were a lot of times that I could’ve just chucked it in, been like,‘i’ve got a gold medal at the last Olympics, I don’t need