Spice buoyed by Scott’s hunger for improvement

Duncan Scott’s unwillingness to declare himself 100 per cent satisfied with a phenomenal week at the British Swimming Championships bodes well for his chances of Olympic glory, the sport’s supremo, Chris Spice, has claimed.

The 21-year-old was the only competitor to pick up three national titles at Tollcross, including a British record in the 100 metres freestyle and a 200m individual medley in a time that was the quickest in the world this year.

His all-round ability and raw speed suggest the Scot has found another gear from the level which landed European and Commonwealth golds in 2018.

Spice, British Swimming’s performance director, says the most exciting thing is that the Stirlingbased star wants more.

“We have this philosophy in the team of kaizen which is Japanese for continual improvement so I’m happy that he’s not always happy,” he said. “But he is phenomenal. He’s a class act in the pool and outside. He’s clearly one of the leaders in our team. He’s spoton in his preparation and attention to detail and a role model for anyone.”

The British team for July’s world championships in Gwangju will be announced tomorrow but is expected to contain only a small Scottish contingent following the trials at Tollcross. While some disappointed, Ross Murdoch’s return to form underlined that he remains a potent force, Spice added.

“They’ve been working hard,” he said. “Ross is in great shape but you never really know where he is until he tapers and gets to competition. Then you see the physical and mental side and he pulled it all together. The big challenge now though, which we say to everyone is: swim fast now, but swim faster in the summer. But he’s really back to form.

“The pleasing thing is that our big hitters swam well and we found some promising juniors. There’s a gap in the middle that we’re still thinking about. But overall, we’re pretty pleased and we’re looking forward to the worlds.”