SWIMMING: GREAT BRITAIN LOSE OUT IN 4 X 200 M BATTLE AT WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

Duncan Scott claimed there were no excuses after Great Britain surprisingly lost their grip on the 4x200 freestyle title at swimming’s world championships in Gwangju as they were squeezed into fifth. Chasing a third successive relay gold in the event, the 2016 Olympic silver medallists lay third after the Scot’s opening leg.

But Calum Jervis, Tom Dean and James Guy’s efforts came up short as GB ended an agonising six-hundredths of a second off the podium with Australia wresting away their crown in a time of 7:00.85 with Russia beating the USA to silver.

“I’m delighted with my leg,” said Scott, who is set for one final crack at doubling his medal haul in tomorrow’s 4x100 medley relay in tandem with Adam Peaty.

“But at the end of the

day I’m just part of the team and everybody was doing their individual legs and I don’t think anyone had

a bad swim. At the end of the day we swam very fast. 7.02 is a very fast time. It’s just that was a very fast race. It

was a really solid effort and we’ve got to walk away proud.”

Luke Greenbank added to the British medal

tally with bronze in the men’s 200m backstroke as Russia’s Evgeny Rylov eased to gold.

His compatriot Yuliya Efimova won the women’s 200m breaststroke with Molly Renshaw fifth.

NO EXCUSES: Duncan Scott was part of the Great Britain team who came fifth in the final of the men’s 4x200m freestyle.