Duncan Scott powered home Team GB’s fourth gold medal of the 2024 Olympics with victory in the men’s 4x200m freestyle relay on Tuesday night.
Scott followed James Guy, Tom Dean and Matt Richards as the Brits soared to defend the Olympic title they won at Tokyo 2020, pipping the USA and Australia to the wall.
Team GB led from the off and never looked back in La Defense Arena, emphatically continuing their momentum from the heats to stand victorious.
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Joyous scenes followed the quartet’s latest success as Scott climbed out of the pool, and they acknowledged the roaring British support, celebrating a slice of history.
Guy started the proceedings for Team GB and set the pace, finishing his stint with a lead of 0.22 seconds and handing over to Dean with Germany second and the USA third.
Dean momentarily slipped to third after 150m but found a second gear to ensure Team GB restored their lead at the changeover.
It was then Richards’ turn, and he put the burners on to open the advantage to 0.58 seconds at the first turn.
The USA stayed in touch, forcing a two-horse race with Australia hanging onto third, but Richards held onto the lead by a narrow margin as he passed over to Scott.
And the Scotsman did what he did best, moving half a body clear of the USA with 100m to go. By the time he touched the wall and secured Team GB glory, that had extended to a full body’s length.
Scott, with two golds and five silvers, has now moved level with legendary cyclist Sir Chris Hoy with seven Olympic medals – a joint record for a Scottish athlete.
He overcame the disappointment of finishing fourth in the individual event on Monday to produce a breathtaking display in the pool. Meanwhile, Guy produced his personal best time.
This quartet have also become the first team in Olympic history to defend the 4x200m freestyle title after their success in Tokyo three years ago.
Jack McMillan and Kieran Bird will also receive gold medals for standing in for Scott and Richards in the heats, in which they were the fastest team in both heats combined.
In doing so, McMillan became the second Northern Irish swimmer to win a gold medal at the Olympics. Daniel Wiffen became the first in the men’s 800m freestyle earlier in the night.
