Duncan Scott overtakes Chris Hoy in Britain’s all-time medal list as Ben Proud also takes silver

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Given he was up against a man who has obliterated every high-quality field at these Olympics and dubbed the ‘French Michael Phelps’, Duncan Scott was always going to play second fiddle to Leon Marchand.
But there were silver linings to finishing behind France’s unbeatable star, who sensationally pocketed his fourth gold – and fourth Olympic record – at his home Games in the 200 metre individual medley.
The reward for Scott is more personal. The Glasgow swimmer has overtaken Sir Chris Hoy in Britain’s all-time Olympic medal list with eight (two gold and six silver) and is now tied with Sir Bradley Wiggins as Team GB’s second most decorated Olympian. He is only one behind Sir Jason Kenny.
“I’m in a completely different bracket to those guys,” admitted Scott, who played the comparison down by pointing out that five of his eight medals have come in relays. “They’ve come into the Olympics and absolutely dominated – Sir Jason Kenny, Chris Hoy and others. As much as you guys compare the medals, don’t compare me to those guys.
“They’re people who have inspired me through my Olympic journeys when I was a young kid. So being able to watch the likes of Andy Murray step away from the sport… I’m 27 and these are my third Games but when I was young, he was the one I was looking up to.
“It’s not something I look at. I really don’t want to be put together with these athletes because they’ve won gold after gold. I’m scraping silvers and jumping on the backs of others in relays.”
It seemed apt for Scott to deflect the attention on a night that belonged to Marchand, this colossal French machine who completed his highly feted challenge of a ‘quadruple’.
The Toulouse swimmer had already triumphed in the 400-metre individual medley – where he broke Phelps’ record – before becoming the first man in history to achieve the 200-metre backstroke-backstroke double – and in the same swimming session at a Games.
France’s posterboy held up four fingers at the conclusion of the race – in a nod to the number of gold medals and records he has collected like Olympic pins in Paris – and barely looked out of breath after coming home in 1:54.06 to comfortably beat Scott, who finished in 1:51.31.
Up in the stands, French president Emmanuel Macron was jumping up and down. France has never witnessed a superstar like it.
“I’d like to think I went head to head with Leon for a little bit of the race, but look, the guy’s the best 200 metre breaststroker in the world, the best 200 metre butterfly swimmer in the world and the best forearm swimmer in the world,” reflected Scott. “That’s the second quickest I’ve ever gone. So to be able to be at my best again when it matters, I’m really happy with that.”
While Marchand’s margin of victory was visible, it was a different story for Scott’s team-mate Ben Proud, who agonisingly lost out by the width of a hair.
Proud might not be a household name in swimming circles but that quickly fades into insignificance given that he is the new prince of the ‘splash and dash’.
He was very nearly the king after finishing five hundredths of a second adrift of Australia’s Cameron McEvoy in the men’s 50-metre freestyle in a ferocious race which saw Britain denied by fingernails once again.
The two men were neck and neck over one lightning quick length of the pool but it was Proud who was pushed down into second at the touch of the wall to take a dramatic silver in a blistering 21.30 seconds.
A fourth-place at the 2016 Rio Games followed by fifth at the Tokyo Olympics had left him questioning his future in the sport, but the 29-year-old was as pleased as his name suggested after embracing his Australian rival at the end.
“This time round I definitely feel like I did what I wanted to do,” said Proud, who shared the podium with his French training partner, Florent Manaudou, who took bronze. “I saw I came second straight away, straight on the screen and then saw Florent’s name. That felt like a very cool moment.”
Here are the eight who have made the final:
Alex Walsh (USA)Summer McIntosh (Canada)Kate Douglass (USA)Abbie Wood (GB)Sydney Pickrem (Canada)Yu Yiting (China)Kaylee McKeown (Australia)Ella Ramsay (Australia)
In the first semi-final, Canada’s Sydney Pickrem takes it in a time of 2:09.65, with China’s Yu Yiting in second and Ella Ramssay in third.
In the second semi-final, USA’s Alex Walsh wins in a time of 2:07.45. Summer McIntosh (Canada) is second with Kate Douglass (USA) third. GB’s Abbie Wood is fourth, which will easily see her into the final.
Here comes the final event of the night in the pool. Great Britain’s Abbie Wood goes in the second semi-final, but she will be up against some formidable swimmers with the likes of Summer McIntosh (Canada), the American duo of Alex Walsh and Kate Douglass and Australian Kaylee McKeown, who has won her second gold at these Games earlier this evening.
“With Leon [Marchand] in it, it was electric. Super exciting and another medal for GB [Ben Proud’s silver medal]!
“An exciting evening for Team GB and I gave it my all – to walk away from this Olympics as a defending champion is an honour.”
“I need to watch it back. I probably made my coach nervous at one point. My target was to push myself out there.
“Leon Marchand showed his class there, that is very quick. What he just went after what has been a busy schedule for the guy – it was special to race him.
“It is a great way to finish it off or, maybe I am included in some relays.”
“In lane four it looks like you are protecting that gold.
“It was a great race and to be second behind Cam who has come out on full form this year. He has done phenomenal things and he has changed the way I do some training.
“The 50m is not aggressive and it is not about who is better. It’s about doing your best, we share the same coach and that goes a long way!”
The eight men through to the final are Kristof Milak (Hungary), Maxime Grousset (France), Josh Liendo (Canada), Nyls Korstanje (Netherlands), Noe Ponti (Switzerland), Ilya Kharun (Canada), Matthew Temple (Australia) and Naoki Mizunuma (Japan).
In the first semi-final, Maxime Grousset of France takes it with a time of 50.41. Canada’s Josh Liendo, who took part in the 50m Freestyle final only half an hour ago, came home second just 0.01 behind Grousset with Netherlands’ Nyls Korstanje third. USA’s Caeleb Dressel, who also competed in that 50m Freestyle final, finished fifth.
In semi-final two, Hungary’s Kristof Milak takes it, with Switzerland’s Noe Ponti second and Ilya Kharun of Canada third.
That fourth gold for Léon Marchand certainly pleased his country’s president.
🥈SILVER FOR SCOTT 🥈 pic.twitter.com/njDHbuWPai
WOW that was close! 😲Silver in the splash and dash for Ben Proud 🥈 pic.twitter.com/DH7bGGwgW3
Sensational. He comes so close to breaking the world record but takes his fourth gold of these Games. He has to settle for just the Olympic record! The stadium erupts. Duncan Scott wins a great silver, his eighth Olympic medal, with China’s Shun Wang taking the bronze. Tom Dean finished in fifth.
Marchand leads with just one length to go. Scott has moved up into second with Wang in third.
With 100m to go after the butterfly and backstroke legs, Marchand leads. His underwater work is sensational. He is only just ahead of Wang. Foster is third, Scott in fourth.
The noise is deafening as Marchand comes out to the blocks. Will he win his fourth gold at these Games or can Scott, Dean, Foster or Wang deny him?
Here we go…
Here comes arguably the biggest final of the night as Frenchman Léon Marchand goes for his fourth gold of these Olympics:
Lane 1- Alberto Razzetti (Italy)
Lane 2- Daiya Seto (Japan)
Lane 3- Duncan Scott (GB)
Lane 4- Léon Marchand (France)
Lane 5- Carson Foster (USA)
Lane 6- Shun Wang (China)
Lane 7- Tom Dean (GB)
Lane 8- Finlay Knox (Canada)
The Australian wins in an Olympic record. She won the double of 100m and 200m backstroke in Tokyo and she has repeated that here. She now holds the world and Olympic records. Regan Smith of the USA takes silver, Canada’s Kylie Masse takes bronze.
Smith still leads but McKeown is coming back at her…
With 100m to go Smith leads ahead of Masse and McKeown. Shanahan and Osrin sixth and seventh respectively.
Off we go.
The finals are coming thick and fast now and Great Britain have two swimmers in this one:
Lane 1- Katie Shanahan (GB)
Lane 2- Kylie Masse (Canada)
Lane 3- Honey Osrin (GB)
Lane 4- Phoebe Bacon (USA)
Lane 5- Kaylee McKeown (Australia)
Lane 6- Xuwei Peng (China)
Lane 7- Regan Smith (USA)
Lane 8- Anastasiya Shkurdai (AIN)
McKeown is the current world record holder, which she set last year in Sydney.
That was so, so tight and it is Australian Cameron McEvoy who takes the gold. GB’s Ben Proud comes home for silver, which he looks pretty happy about. Proud finished just 0.05 seconds off gold. Florent Manaudou of France takes the bronze, much to the home crowd’s delight. Thrilling race.
Frenchman Manaudou is playing to his home crowd, which creates even more noise. We are about to crown the fastest swimmer in the world. The swimmers are on the blocks. A full-on sprint for the finish is incoming…
Here are the runners and riders for the first final of the night:
Lane 1- Florent Manaudou (France)
Lane 2- Caeleb Dressel (USA)
Lane 3- Leonardo Deplano (Italy)
Lane 4- Ben Proud (GB)
Lane 5- Cameron McEvoy (Australia)
Lane 6- Jordan Crooks (Cayman Islands)
Lane 7- Kristian Gkolomeev (Greece)
Lane 8- Josh Liendo (Canada)
The swimmers are on their way to the blocks.
Sir Andy Murray was asked last night after his final game of his professional career what he would be doing today. Well, we have an answer as he is at La Défense Arena supporting GB’s swimmers. Will he be a good-luck charm for Team GB?
American Caeleb Dressel won gold in the Men’s 50m Freestyle final in Tokyo and he will start in lane two tonight. He is the current Olympic record holder from that gold in Tokyo so he will be one of Ben Proud’s main competitors tonight for the top step on the podium.
Earlier today Great Britain booked their place in the mixed 4x100m medley relay final as the British quartet qualified for Saturday’s final fifth-fastest. James Wilby, who swam the breaststroke leg, was joined by Kathleen Dawson, Joe Litchfield and Anna Hopkin as Great Britain finished third in their heat, behind the United States and China. The USA were the fastest qualifiers, 0.44 seconds quicker than Australia, who won the first heat.
Adam Peaty did not feature as he recovers from Covid, but could come back in for tomorrow’s night final. One of GB’s 4x200m freestyle gold medallists, including Duncan Scott and Matt Richards, could also come into the quartet for the final.
GB won this event back in Tokyo. The final takes place tomorrow night at 20.58 (BST).
Léon Marchand is aiming for his fourth gold medal in his home Games tonight. Duncan Scott and Tom Dean are two of the main men hoping to deny him. 22-year-old Marchand is coached by Michael Phelps’ former coach Bob Bowman and despite an incredible Olympics so far, he is still a long way off matching Phelps’ eight golds from Beijing in 2008.
GB’s Keely Hodgkinson is going to be in action very soon in the heats for the women’s 800m. You can follow that as well as all the other action from the Stade de France with our dedicated live blog here.
“Chinese swimmer Zhang Yufei hit back at critics as doping suspicions continued to swirl around her country’s swimming team, claiming: “We are innocent.”
“Zhang claimed bronze in the women’s 200 metre butterfly – the event where she won gold at the Tokyo Games – but received a mixed reaction when she stepped onto the podium inside on Thursday night La Defense Arena.”
Fiona Tomas has the full story from Paris.
19:30: Men’s 50m freestyle final (GB’s Ben Proud joint-fastest into the final)
19:35: Women’s 200m backstroke final (GB have Katie Shanahan and Honey Osrin looking for medals)
19:40: Men’s 200m individual medley final (GB’s Duncan Scott and Tom Dean and Frenchman Leon Marchand)
20:05: Men’s 100m butterfly semi-finals
20:31: Women’s 200m individual medley semi-finals (including GB’s Abbie Wood)
Good evening and welcome to coverage from La Défense Arena on day seven ahead of an exciting night in the swimming pool. It has been another great day for Great Britain with golds in rowing, trampolining and equestrian and GB’s swimmers will be hoping to cap off a great day for the team.
One of the great battles of the night will be in the Men’s 200m Individual Medley final as home favourite Léon Marchand is aiming to win his fourth medal of the Games. Marchand has already won gold in the 200m Breaststroke, 200m Butterfly and 400m Individual Medley. GB’s Duncan Scott and Tom Dean, who have already won gold in the Men’s 2 x 400m Freestyle Relay, will be looking to deny him at 19.45 (BST). In the World Championships last year, Marchand claimed first ahead of Scott and Dean. Could we see Ryan Lochte’s world record broken this evening, which stands at 1:54.00. In the World Championships last year Marchand won with a time of 1:54.82 and with the form he is in this week, could he break it?
Ben Proud will be hoping to add an Olympic gold in Paris to his collection in the Men’s 50m Freestyle final at 19.30 (BST). He has won gold at the World Championships and Commonwealth Games but can he add an Olympic gold tonight? Proud goes in as joint-fastest into the final and his main competitors for the title include Australian Cameron McEvoy, Italian Leonardo Deplano and American Caeleb Dressel, who won gold in this event in Tokyo as Proud finished joint-fifth.
We also have the Women’s 200m Backstroke final where Katie Shanahan and Honey Osrin will be flying the flag for Team GB at 19.37 (BST). There is also the Men’s 100m Butterfly semi-finals at 20.05 and the Women’s 200m Individual Medley semi-finals, where Abbie Wood goes for Great Britain at 20.31 (BST).
Make sure you stay with us for all the action from the pool on what is sure to be another enthralling evening.