Scott beats Dean in British 200m medley as both seal places at Olympics

Duncan Scott beat his rival Tom Dean to win the 200m medley British title at the Aquatics GB Swimming Championships at the London Aquatics Centre.

Six-time Olympic medalist Scott, who will be looking to win his first individual gold medal at the Paris 2024 Olympics, finished in one minute 55.91 seconds to produce the second quickest time of his career in the discipline.

As a result of his time, Scott has qualified for the event in Paris.

“It’s a real competitive field with some fast PBs (personal bests) in it,” he said after receiving his gold medal.

“That’s the thing about IM (Individual Medley), you know, people swim it in so many different ways, with different strengths, I think that’s what makes it so exciting – but also why I love it.”

Dean, the 200m freestyle Olympic champion, was under the qualification time and 0.53 seconds behind in silver to seal his place in the event in France.

The pair will likely face off against each other and dominant Frenchman Leon Marchand for gold in Paris.

Scott took silver and Dean bronze at last year’s World Championships behind Marchand, while China’s Wang Shun is also expected to be in contention for a podium finish after setting the fastest individual medley time in the world last year.

“I try not to look at what other people are doing around the world but you have to block quite a few things out to avoid what he [Marchand] is doing,” Scott said.

“He is a really special talent with what he is able to do – break [Michael] Phelps’ record, I thought as a young kid I would never see that go.

“He is really special but at the same time there is Wang, and plenty of Americans. It’s going to be pretty special.”

Honey Osrin, 21, won the women’s 200m backstroke title with a personal best time to secure her place at a first Olympics. Katie Shanahan finished under the qualification time in second place.