Scott lays a marker for training companion Renwick ahead of trials
DUNCANSCOTTisconsideredbymany as the future of Scottish swimming and he illustrated his potential by sneaking a win over his training partner Robbie Renwick, the former Commonwealth champion, at the Edinburgh International Swim Meet at the Royal Commonwealth Pool last night.
Scott finished second behind Englishman Ben Proud in the 100m freestyle in 49.69 seconds, edging Renwick into third place by 0.8 seconds. Scott’s improvement in recent years has been impressive and he is reaping the benefits of being part of the University of Stirling’s lauded training squad. “The training group is great and it’s a pleasure to train with Robbie day in, day out – it definitely pushes me on,” said the 18 year-old. “It’s definitely the plan to swim well at trials and so far, it’s going in the right direction.”
At the age of 27, Renwick is something of a veteran of the British swimming team but he believes he is swimming as well as he ever has. The Aberdeenshire swimmer became a world champion for the first time last summer when he was part of the Britain team that took gold in the 4 x 200m freestyle and having spent the majority of January at a training camp in Australia, he has continued that good form into 2016.
“I feel like I’m in the best shape of my life. I think Australia made a big difference for me and I’m hoping that it pays dividends come the trials. I’m really relaxed about these Olympic trials though – I’ve been swimming on the international scene for 10 years and this is the most relaxed I’ve ever been,” he said, before adding that having Scott snapping at his heels certainly prevents him from resting on his laurels. “That’s the fastest I’ve ever been mid-season in the 100 and I’m still getting beaten by that kid. But I’m using it to push me on and my 100 is definitely improving. The real race is going to be at the trials when we’re all tapered so it should be good.”
Elsewhere, Adam Peaty, who has been the standout British swimmer of the last 12 months by becoming triple world champion and double world record holder, showed his class by winning the 50m breaststroke. All going well at the trials next month, Rio will be the Englishman’s first Olympic Games, although he is refusing to get caught in the hype. “There’s an important few months coming up but there’s nothing I could do better at the moment,” said the 21 year-old. “I’ve already got my plan in place for Rio so I’m not thinking about that too much just yet.”