Duncan Scott claims gold in 200m medley - then helps teammates to relay bronze - to take Birmingham medal tally to six

Duncan Scott touched out Tom Dean one more time to claim his first senior title in the 200m medley and sixth medal of the Commonwealth Games.

The 25-year-old took Olympic silver in Tokyo but hasn’t won major gold in the four-stroke event since the 2014 European Junior Championships.

Scott ticked that box on the final night of swimming at Sandwell Aquatics Centre, defying Dean in a thrilling head-to-head.

He said: “The rivalry or competition in general gets the best out of us. I can say that for myself and definitely for Deano.

“We love a race, whatever the competition. We love the atmosphere, we love finals, and we love getting in amongst it.”

Scott and Dean’s Olympic final rematch in the 200m freestyle was given top billing, coming on the second day of the Games, with the Scot reversing the result from Tokyo.

But their multi-stroke duel on the final night of racing was just as box office and three times as close, going in Scott’s favour by 0.13s rather than 0.39.

Both Brits conceded ground to Canada’s Finlay Knox on the backstroke leg but Scott used his butterfly strength to fly from fourth to first at the halfway mark.

Duncan Scott celebrates with his 200m individual medlay gold medal at Birmingham 2022. (Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)

The Glasgow star held his advantage on breaststroke and then held on despite Dean outsplitting him by more than half a second coming home.

Scott got it at the touch in a time of 1:56.88.

“I knew he was there, I was like, ‘oh, he’s catching,’” admitted Scott. “Obviously I was breathing the other way, we both breathe to our right.

“I know I’m a lot better on other strokes but he comes home strong, he’s faster than me on the freestyle. But Tom, great racer, great competitor. I knew he’d be coming home fast.”

Bronze medalists, Craig McNally, Ross Murdoch, Duncan Scott and Evan Jones of Team Scotland after the Men's 4 x 100m Medley Relay Final. (Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)

Scott dived back in and helped Scotland win bronze in the 4x100m medley relay.

For Craig McNally and Ross Murdoch it was their final act in the pool and quite a way to go out, on the podium behind England and Australia.

It has been a brutal meet by Scott’s masochistic standards, consisting of 11 races in five days, and even the man with the endless engine was blowing by the end.

He said: “Tonight was more of a grind but this one is up there. Honestly, I’m just absolutely exhausted and I was really hurting in that race.”

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