Scotland’s Duncan Scott passes England’s Tom Dean to take a sensational 200m freestyle Commonwealth gold.
| Hosts: Birmingham Dates: 28 July to 8 August |
| Coverage: Watch live on BBC TV with extra streams on BBC iPlayer, Red Button, BBC Sport website and BBC Sport mobile app; Listen on BBC Radio 5 Live and Sports Extra; live text and clips online. |
Scott, who missed June’s World Championships because of Covid-19, beat his close friend in one minute 45.02 seconds before later taking 400m individual medley bronze.
English fans in Birmingham had already been treated to a home gold earlier on Saturday as Ben Proud powered to 50m butterfly victory.
Adam Peaty, back from a broken foot, qualified fastest for the men’s 100m breaststroke final in 59.02 seconds.
Peaty’s compatriot Imogen Clark took 50m breaststroke silver before Scotland’s Stephen Clegg won silver in the 50m freestyle S13.
England’s Hannah Russell took silver in the Para-swimming too. She finished second behind Australia’s Katja Dedekind, who set a new world record of 26.56 seconds, bettering the old one by 0.11 seconds.
The hosts won a total of seven medals in the pool on Saturday as Brodie Williams took men’s 100m backstroke silver and both relay teams claimed silver.
Freya Anderson, Isabella Hindley, Abbie Wood and Anna Hopkin finished behind Australia in the women’s 4x100m freestyle relay.
In the men’s equivalent, Lewis Burras, Jacob Whittle, James Guy and Dean narrowly lost out to Australia too.
Scott takes gold with late push
The Sandwell crowd had already been warmed up by Proud’s early gold, but the volume peaked before the eagerly anticipated men’s 200m freestyle final.
Home favourite Dean only contributed to the excitement, jumping up and down beside his blocks and slapping himself until his chest was red.
He had beaten Scott to Olympic gold in Tokyo and looked on track to do the same again as he turned first after 100m.
Scott gave himself a punishing schedule of both the 200m freestyle and 400m individual medley on Saturday but held nothing back in the first of the two events.
He came back at Dean as the atmosphere reached boiling point and passed him before 150m, holding on to win by 0.39 seconds.
Scott then delighted in singing Flower of Scotland on the podium, accompanied by enthusiastic members of the crowd.
The 25-year-old – who became the first British athlete to win four medals at a single Olympics in 2021 – used what energy he had left to take 400m individual medley bronze, hanging over the lane rope in exhaustion at the end of the race.
New Zealand’s Lewis Clareburt took gold in that one in a Commonwealth record of four minutes 08.70 seconds, with Scott finishing in 04:11.27.
Peaty puts on a show
Peaty gave a wry grin as the crowd erupted when his name was called before his semi-final.
The two-time Olympic and Commonwealth champion over 100m had spoken about his excitement at competing in front of home fans and his two-year-old son George-Anderson.
Peaty was a full body length ahead at one point and his 59.02 seconds was 0.90 seconds quicker than he had swum in the heats.
English 200m silver medallist James Wilby – used to swimming in Peaty’s shadow – qualified third fastest for the final in 59.85 seconds, with Friday night’s gold-medal winner Zac Stubblety-Cook second in 59.80 seconds.
Scotland’s 200m bronze medallist Ross Murdoch and Craig Benson also made it through to Sunday’s final.
Peaty told the BBC he thought his performance was “not bad for four weeks’ training”, describing his times as “a little bit off”.
“It’s about lifting other people up,” he continued. “I enjoyed that really. This crowd is brilliant. That’s what it’s about, the home crowd.”
‘Emotional’ Proud finds redemption
Proud ensured a jubilant start to the night as he comfortably won England’s first gold at the Sandwell in a new Commonwealth 50m butterfly record of 22.81 seconds.
The 27-year-old said he felt “emotional” about his victory given he could not defend his 2014 title after being disqualified in 2018 for moving on the blocks in the heats.
“Eight years ago I walked into this competition and took gold,” he said.
“Four years ago I felt that was taken away from me. I said to myself I’d be here four years later and that’s what’s happened.
“I didn’t expect to be emotional but it’s been a tough one. It’s more than just another win, it’s my career, it’s my legacy. It’s what I’ve dedicated my life to.”
The crowd thought they might be getting two golds in a row as Clark started well in the 50m breaststroke, but she could not stay ahead of Lara van Niekerk as the South African bettered her own Commonwealth record.
The 19-year-old finished in 29.73 seconds, with Clark coming in 0.29 seconds behind and Australia’s Chelsea Hodges taking bronze.
Northern Ireland’s Danielle Hill qualified for the 50m freestyle final in a new Irish and Northern Irish record of 25.15 seconds, with England’s Hopkin and Hindley also making it through.
In the 100m backstroke semi-finals, Scotland’s 400m individual medley bronze medallist Katie Shanahan made it through along with Wales’ Medi Harris and England’s Lauren Cox.
After playing her part in Australia’s relay victory, Emma McKeon equalled the Commonwealth Games record of 10 gold medals which is also held by compatriots Ian Thorpe, Leisel Jones and Susie O’Neill.
The 28-year-old could have gone in front on her own but lost out on 100m butterfly gold to Canada’s Maggie Macneil, who set a new Commonwealth record of 56.36 seconds.
