Duncan Scott enters Scottish Hall of Fame with record-equalling seventh Olympic medal

Swimming 31 Jul 24

When Sir Chris Hoy bagged his seventh Olympic medal at London 2012, he must have thought his record haul for a Scottish athlete was as safe as the Mona Lisa.

But Duncan Scott etched his own name onto the canvas of Scotland’s sporting superstars by equalling that record on a historic night at the La Defense Arena.

The Alloa express held off the USA’s Kieran Smith and sped home in the men's 4x200m freestyle relay to equal Hoy’s record and bag Team GB’s first gold in the pool – and fourth overall – at the 2024 Games.

Five of Scott’s impressive medal haul have come in relays and he was joined on the top step once more by teammates James Guy, Tom Dean and Matt Richards, the quartet touching the wall in a combined 6:59:43s to defend the title they won in Tokyo three years ago.

Scott and Guy have been through it all together: three Olympic Games, two relay golds and a swimming journey that will see both enter the British hall of fame.

But there is one thing they clearly disagree on - and that is Scott’s place alongside Hoy as Scotland’s greatest Olympic athlete.

“Damn right,” Guy said when asked if he can compare.

“Duncan is very versatile. I have known Duncan since we teenagers, we raced when I was 16 and he was 15.

“We have both been going for a long time, I did beat him in that race. He is an incredible athlete, very present-orientated, very level-headed and we are all friends.

“That is the most important thing. Duncan is a brilliant athlete.”

Scott carried Team GB home on the anchor leg in Paris. He also delivered the fastest split of any athlete in the race by almost an entire second in an all-timer of a last leg.

He still has the 200m individual medley to come, and will go up against the indomitable French poster-boy Leon Marchand, and could break Hoy’s record if he returns to the podium.

Yet Scott prefers to keep his feet on the ground, rather than his head in the sky.

His seven medals are comprised of two golds and five silvers, while cyclist Hoy won six golds in the velodrome.

“I am nowhere near the level of athlete Chris Hoy was,” he said.

“I think that is taking away from what he achieved. I have had so many medals with teammates and I can’t thank them enough for what they do and how much they have done.

“They put me in a phenomenal position and that includes the medley relays with Adam [Peaty], Jimmy and Luke [Greenbank] in the past. I am incredibly fortunate.

“I don’t think I should ever be compared to Chris Hoy. He is well above what I have achieved. It is pretty cool in terms of numbers but he has a few better colours than I do.”

Right from the starters gun, this was a gold already written in the books.

Guy, the 2015 200m world champion, swam the first leg and built a 0.46s-lead over USA’s Luke Hobson, while Dean paced his race to perfection. He slipped to fourth ahead of the final 50m but had enough gas in the tank to come roaring back and regain the lead.

Richards, swimming for the second time in the evening after his unsuccessful 100m semi-final, maintained that half-second advantage and then Scott did the rest.

With Kieran Smith in the next lane, Scott pulled away from the get-go in an ear-splitting atmosphere. The lead grew to 0.85s by the 50m mark and 0.91s by 100m and, while Smith reduced the gap back to 0.85s for the last 50, Scott hit the after-burners.

His final time was 1:43:95s, 0.85s faster than anyone else – and ironically enough to have won individual gold on Monday.

"When we come together as a team, it is really special,” Scott added.

“Me and Jimmy [Guy] were part of the team in 2016, and to get three Olympic medals in a row is amazing.

"I am just so proud of what we were all able to do out there. It was so loud, the atmosphere was phenomenal - the French team were in there so it was amazing.

"I am just proud of how we all swam our legs. Jimmy did a lifetime best this morning, his best since 2015, and then Tom and Matt also brought it back so strong to give the next person an opportunity. I am buzzing with that."

Sportsbeat 2024

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