SCOTTISH swimmer Duncan Scott has won Scotland's first medal of the Tokyo Olympics in a closely-fought 200m freestyle.

Scott finished just 0.04 seconds behind his team-mate Tom Dean who touched home in one minute 44.22 seconds, securing a British record on his debut Games. Brazil’s Fernando Scheffer came third.

Gold for Dean and silver for Scott, who was heavily fancied after qualifying quickest in the semi-finals the day before, was the first time since the 1908 Games that two male swimmers from Britain have finished on the podium together.

“Duncan and I are great mates,” added Dean, who acknowledged his plan to resume his mechanical engineering degree at Bath University this year may have changed after Team GB’s second swimming gold of these Games, after Adam Peaty on Monday.

“Duncan’s an absolute class act. I’ve looked up to him for a long time. To share a pool and a podium with him is amazing. Going one-two with another Brit on the podium. What more could you ask for, really?”

Not since Henry Taylor and Thomas Battersby in the 1500m freestyle, and Frederick Holman and William Robinson in the 200m breaststroke, in London more than a century ago have two men from Britain been in the top-three in a swimming event.

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After collecting Scotland’s first medal of these Games, Scott said of his GB team-mate: “I’m buzzing for Deano, he’s had a really strange 18 months with Covid twice and a monster PB at trials but to see him move it on again and win gold is phenomenal.

“Our best possible outcome is one-two and we delivered on that, and I got a PB in the final as well so I’m really happy, can’t complain at all.”

The 24-year-old Glaswegian won two silvers at Rio 2016 and has claimed golds at world, European and Commonwealth level, but he acknowledged this runner-up finish in the Japanese capital was the high point of his singles career.

“It’s probably the biggest medal of my individual career, yeah,” he added. “I’ve won Commonwealth and European but I wouldn’t say that’s matched by an Olympic medal, the pinnacle of our sport, so yeah I’m delighted.”

Both Dean and Scott have little time to revel in their achievements as they are expected to compete in the men’s 4x200m freestyle relay heats on Tuesday.

Kathleen Dawson missed out on a medal in the women’s 100m backstroke following a sixth-place finish 1.23s adrift of winner Kaylee McKeown, with the Australian’s time of 57.47 an Olympic record.

Abbie Wood and Alicia Wilson sealed their places in the women’s 200m individual medley final but Freya Anderson finished outside the qualifying places for the women’s 200m freestyle.