DUNCAN SCOTT believes he can land an elusive gold medal on the closing day of the world swimming championships with a little help from his star-studded friends.
The 22-year-old, who won bronze in the 200 metres freestyle last week, is primed for a final crack in the 4x100 medley relay in Gwangju where the British line-up will be among the favourites.
Scott is set to link up with double breaststroke champion Adam Peaty, backstroke bronze medallist Luke Greenbank and mixed medley bronze medallist James Guy, a cast list that makes Scott think they can finish off on a high.
“When you’re part of a team with the athletes which Britain has, it gives you some confidence when you’re standing at the block,” he said. “We’ve got Adam Peaty in our team. When he’s dropping 56 seconds – and we’ve got the second-fastest breaststroker on our team as well in James Wilby – you’ve got Jimmy on the butterfly, Luke Greenbank getting a medal in the 200 backstroke … to be a part of that team is an honour.
“We’re going in there to try and battle to get on the podium. Some other nations are looking incredibly strong, like Russia and America. But regardless, we have to go in confident, especially with the depth we’ve got.”
Britain’s Ben Proud, dethroned as champion in the 50m butterfly, came fifth in the 50m freestyle – just 0.1 seconds short of the podium – as Caeleb Dressel won again and the dominant American later made it a total of five golds by winning the 100m butterfly with Guy seventh.
Meanwhile, Ross Murdoch is set to carry on swimming beyond next year’s Olympic Games despite crashing out in the semis of the 200m breaststroke.
The Scot, who has signed for the Budapest Iron team in the new money-spinning International Swimming League said: “I’ve always seen myself going towards 2022. But that was because there was no talk about an ISL or FINA Champions Series. You rely on getting your funding but there comes a point when your funding will drop.
“But as you get older, your priorities change. You don’t want to get up and swim every day. There’s no pension. This isn’t a job. It’s a glorified holiday, at the moment. But if that changes, then my attitude to staying on past 2022 could well change. With the ISL and Champions Series, opportunities are opening up and it could be spectacular.”
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