Britain celebrated a one-two in the 200-metre freestyle final at the 2022 Commonwealth Games on Saturday when Scotland's Duncan Scott took home the gold.
Last year's silver medallist at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics traded places with England's Tom Dean, who this time settled for second. Australian Elijah Winnington rounded off the podium after placing third behind the border rivals.
The pair ran a close race throughout at the Sandwell Aquatics Centre, where it looked like the red cap of Dean would take victory. Scott is well-known for his strong finish, however, and thundered back in the last 50 metres to overtake his main competition.
While the pair enjoy a healthy rivalry, 25-year-old Scott could hardly have been more pleased to secure his eighth Commonwealth Games medal. That haul now includes two golds after he also won the 100-metre freestyle on the Gold Coast four years ago.
Scott clocked a winning time of 1:45.02, with Dean just 0.39 seconds off the pace. The Welsh duo of Matthew Richards and Calum Jarvis settled for fifth and seventh, respectively, while Englishman Joe Litchfield brought up the rear in eighth place.
Having made quite the splash in his Olympic debut last year, Dean has succeeded in announcing himself as a star to watch in his Commonwealth arrival this year. The 22-year-old may feel some disappointment at a runner-up finish in Smethwick, but the youngster has time on his hands to add gold to his collection.
It certainly didn't affect Dean's demeanour on the podium as the Londoner beamed on the podium. Similarly, Scott smiled widely and struggled to hold back the tears as he sang his national anthem, Flower of Scotland, during the medal ceremony.
Despite Winnington's best efforts to crack the top pair, Saturday's 200-metre final was always framed as a 'Battle of Britain'. It didn't disappoint in that regard, and one would bank on Scott and Dean having many more head-to-head battles in the years to come.
The good fortune continued for Britain's best in the swimming, too, as Adam Peaty won his 100-metre breaststroke semi-final in just over 59 seconds. The three-time Olympic gold medal-winner missed this year's World Championships due to a foot injury but has looked straight back to his best in recent days.
