Double delight for Stirling swimmer Duncan Scott

University of Stirling swimmer Duncan Scott has returned from the European Short Course Championships in Denmark with two bronze medals.

The 20-year-old secured third place in the 200m Freestyle event – his first-ever individual senior international medal – before winning a second bronze in the 100m Freestyle at the competition in Copenhagen.

Stirling swimmers Duncan Scott and Ross Murdoch competed at the European Short Course Championships in Denmark.

With a time of 1:43.16, Scott was the second fastest qualifier for the 200m final, however, he was pipped to the post by Lithuania's Danas Rapsys and Russia's Alexandr Krasnykh.

In the 100m, Scott, a Sports Studies student and swimming scholar, set a new Scottish record with a time of 46.64s, finishing behind Italy’s Luca Dotto and Belgium’s Pieter Timmers.

Fellow Stirling athlete Ross Murdoch narrowly missed out on a place in the final of the 200m Breaststroke but set two personal bests in the 100m event, the second of which came in the final and broke the Scottish record. Despite his record time of 57.51s, Murdoch finished in eighth spot.

Speaking after the final, Murdoch said: “I’m delighted with my 100 metres tonight. A new best time and a Scottish record in my first international short course final.”

Stirling swimmer Calum Bain, who represented Team Ireland at the competition, set a personal best time of 21.82s during the 50m Freestyle heats but it was not enough to see him progress.

Steven Tigg, Head Performance Swimming Coach at Stirling, said: “The Short Course Championships present different challenges, with the emphasis on strength and power being more pertinent for this format of racing. The fact the athletes can go there and be competitive despite a non-prioritised preparation is testament to their character and ability to perform in the arena regardless.  

“We are looking forward to some rest and recovery over the Christmas period before stepping up our preparation for our key meets in April and August.”

Cathy Gallagher, Director of Sport at Stirling, said: “We are delighted to welcome our swimmers home from the European Short Course Championships with two medals.

“Duncan Scott has, once again, impressed on the world stage, while Ross Murdoch and Calum Bain have also given excellent accounts of themselves.

“2018 will be another significant year for our performance swimmers, the highlight of which is likely to be the Commonwealth Games in the Gold Coast.”

The LEN European Short Course Swimming Championships were held at the Royal Arena in Copenhagen, from Wednesday 13 December to Sunday 17 December.