Because it was in Tokyo, so it goes once more in Paris. On Tuesday night time, James Man, Tom Dean, Matt Richards and Duncan Scott grew to become the primary quartet in Olympic historical past to efficiently defend a 4x200m freestyle relay title. Their victory means Scott has received his seventh medal, which places him stage with Chris Hoy in third-place on the listing of Britain’s most embellished Olympians. Scott characteristically refused to let anybody examine the 2 of them.

“I’m nowhere close to the extent of athlete Chris Hoy was,” Scott stated, “I feel to say that I’m could be to remove from what he achieved. I’ve received so a lot of my medals due to my teammates in relays, and I can’t thank them sufficient for what they’ve finished for me over the three Olympics I’ve competed in, however I don’t suppose I ought to ever be in comparison with Chris Hoy. It’s fairly cool to be stage with him on numbers, however he’s received a couple of higher colors than I do, that’s for positive.”

His teammate James Man wasn’t so modest. “Rattling proper I’d examine them,” Man stated. “Duncan’s an unimaginable athlete.” It was Scott’s second gold, to go along with his set of 5 silvers. He has two extra races forward this week, within the 200m particular person medley and the 4x100m medley relay, which suggests he may but draw stage with the 2 males left above him, Bradley Wiggins, who received eight, and Jason Kenny, who received 9.

For Scott, it meant he loved a swift restoration from the frustration of coming fourth within the 200m freestyle remaining on Monday. “I’ve tried to park what occurred. That’s simply the character of sport, I do know what I signed up for. Generally you’re simply on the opposite facet of it like I used to be on Monday. However this time I used to be lucky sufficient to have some fairly unimaginable teammates who made positive I used to be on the correct facet of it as a substitute.”

It was Britain’s first gold medal within the swimming pool. Their possibilities of profitable extra of them rely, within the massive half, on whether or not Adam Peaty can get better from Covid in time to compete within the two medley relays this weekend. Man had been sharing a room with Peaty till he got here down sick, and has been talking to him since. He stated that it was nonetheless contact and go whether or not Peaty could be match or not.

“Adam texted me earlier than the race, sending me some foolish voice notes, so he appears happier. After I heard he was feeling off, I assumed it was in all probability simply sniffles however he was fairly unhealthy after the race. And having all these emotional ups and downs, all that strain, and the come down off it, all of it hit him fairly laborious. He’s undoubtedly getting higher, and hopefully he will probably be prepared for the relays however I do know he was hit laborious by it. He stated his lungs felt tight and really phlegmy.”