Duncan Scott is a hard man to catch, in the pool and out. During the Tokyo Olympics the British press spent a lot of time trying, and failing, to get a word with him as he peeled off nine races in eight days. There were three rounds in the 200m freestyle, three more in the 200m medley, two in the men’s 4x100m medley relay, and another in the 4x200m freestyle relay. By the end of the week, Scott had won more medals than any British athlete at a single Games – one gold and three silver – but had barely said a word in public because he was so busy racing, sleeping, losing, winning.
It was the same at the 2018 Commonwealth Games. On the Gold Coast Scott swam 11 races in five days and won six medals. In Birmingham in 2022 it was 12 in five, and he won six more. It’s not unusual for swimmers to enter multiple races at major championships, but the job Scott takes on is something else again. His teammate Adam Peaty called him an “inspiration” in Tokyo, and it’s undeniably true there is something heartening about watching him go about his swimming. He has an abundant love of what he does, but apparently no interest in the trappings that go with it.
