Duncan Scott wins Olympic silver

Duncan Scott was part of a historic Team GB one-two in Tokyo - winning Olympic silver in the Men's 200m Freestyle, just 0.04 seconds behind teammate Tom Dean.

The 24-year-old University of Stirling swimmer touched home on 1:44.26 - four hundredths of a second behind Dean (1:44.22) - to win his third career Olympic silver. Fernando Scheffer, of Brazil, finished third (1:44.66).

Duncan - a double silver medallist at his first Olympic Games in Rio 2016 - said: "A massive credit to Tom Dean - that was unbelievable - Olympic champion. He has come on so far in the last 18 months and it is a pleasure to watch. It's great to be able to say that he is a good mate out of the pool and it's great to be able to compete against him as well."

Scott, from Glasgow, added: "I'm delighted with that and I think, for me, I've just got to give massive credit to my coach Steve Tigg. I wouldn't be standing here without him. The journey that I've been on with him, since I was about eight years old, has been phenomenal.

"I'm just buzzing for Deano, to be honest!"

Battle

In dramatic scenes at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre, Scott - who qualified fastest for the final - and Dean faced a tough battle going into the last 50 metres. Both powered towards the wall - inseparable over the last 15 metres - and touched home almost simultaneously.

It is the first time since 1908 that two male British swimmers have finished on the Olympic podium together.

Asked about receiving his degree earlier in the summer, he added: "It was nice to get that finished - but it really has been a sole focus on swimming, my whole time at University. I'm just really happy to be here and grateful for the opportunity."

David Bond, Head of Performance Sport at the University of Stirling, said: “We are absolutely thrilled for Duncan after he won silver at the Tokyo Olympics in a dramatic race, missing out on gold by just a fraction of a second.

“It’s Duncan’s third career Olympic silver and the first medal to be won by a Scot at this year’s Games – and everyone at the University of Stirling is incredibly proud of his achievements, both in the pool and academically.

“Duncan is a real inspiration to young swimmers not only here in Scotland and across the UK – but around the world. Yet again, on sport’s biggest stage, Duncan has produced an outstanding performance – showing grit, determination, discipline, professionalism and an exemplary work ethic. These are traits that his coaches at the University of Stirling, Steve Tigg and Bradley Hay, see first-hand, on a daily basis. Duncan is well deserving of his medal and we are sending him and his Team GB teammate Tom Dean our warmest congratulations.

“We wish Duncan – and all of our Stirling athletes – all the best for the rest of the competition.”

Scott may return to action later today [Tuesday 27 July] in the Men's 4x200m Freestyle Relay heats. Looking ahead to that event, Scott said: "We've got a great opportunity in that but you can't write off some of the other really competitive nations as well. It's going to be really competitive and really difficult - we can't get complacent and we're looking forward to it."

Kathleen Dawson competed in the Women's 100m Backstroke final.

Kathleen Dawson

Kathleen Dawson - who also trains at Stirling - competed in the Women's 100m Backstroke final - finishing 6th in the eight-strong field with a time of 58.70s.

The 23-year-old, from Kirkcaldy, said: "I'm disappointed not to have gone faster than I did in the semi, but I still have got both the relays ahead of me - so I will just get my head down and focus on them now."

Reflecting on Dean and Scott's success, she added: "I'm just so happy for both of them - I'm getting emotional thinking about it now!"

Fellow Stirling swimmer Ross Murdoch will compete in the Men's 200m Breaststroke heats later today while, Dawson and Cassie Wild are also expected to return to action later in the week.

Aimee Willmott

Meanwhile, three-time Olympian Aimee Willmott retired from professional swimming after finishing seventh in the Women’s 400m Individual Medley (IM). The 28-year-old - who has been based at the University since 2017 - had headed in to the final as second fastest but, after a hard-fought race, was unable to improve on her result from Rio.

Speaking after the race, Willmott - who won gold in the 400 IM at the 2018 Commonwealth Games - said: “It wasn’t quite the time I wanted and it was difficult to back up last night’s performance from the heats – but to come to a Games I didn’t think I’d even be at, I’m just really thankful.

“These aren’t sad tears, I’m just overcome with emotion. I just wanted to get out there and enjoy myself. It was so much fun. The race was as hard as I knew it was going to be.

“I guess the time was slightly off, but at this level, after everything that has gone on in the world, you would never have thought that time would win Olympic gold. It’s just one of those things that we’ve all had to deal with and get on with. I’m really fortunate to be able to come and do three Olympics.

“I finished seventh last time and I’ve finished seventh again, so I can’t really grumble too much. The big thing for me is I did make it back."