British · Glasgow, Scotland · Born 6 May 1997Duncan Scott is a Scottish swimmer and Britain's most decorated Olympic swimmer, famed for becoming the first British athlete to win four medals at a single Olympics, at Tokyo 2020.
Four medals at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics — one gold and three silvers — made Duncan Scott the first British athlete in history to win four medals at a single Games, the opening chapter of a run that has since extended to eight Olympic medals across three Games, more than any British swimmer has ever accumulated. He rose through Scottish and British age-group ranks before joining the University of Stirling performance programme under coach Steven Tigg, becoming one of the leading swimmers to emerge from Scotland's high-performance system. Scott made his senior international breakthrough at the inaugural 2015 European Games in Baku, winning three golds and three silvers to become Great Britain's most decorated athlete at the event, before taking a relay gold at his World Championships debut later that year. He won two Olympic relay silvers on his Games debut at Rio 2016, but his defining moment came at the delayed Tokyo 2020 Olympics, where he won four medals — a gold in the 4x200m freestyle relay and silvers in the 200m freestyle, 200m individual medley, and 4x100m medley relay — becoming the first British athlete in history to win four medals at a single Olympic Games and tying 1908 Olympian Henry Taylor as Britain's most decorated Olympic swimmer. Scott extended his tally at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games and the 2023 World Championships in Fukuoka, where he combined with Tom Dean, James Guy, and Matt Richards to win the 4x200m freestyle relay. At Paris 2024, his gold in the successfully defended 4x200m freestyle relay — the first British relay title defence in Olympic swimming history — and a silver in the 200m individual medley took his career Olympic medal haul to eight across three Games (two gold, six silver), making him outright Britain's most decorated Olympic swimmer and Scotland's most decorated Olympian of any sport. He was appointed MBE in the 2022 New Year Honours for services to swimming.
First British athlete to win four medals at a single Olympic Games (Tokyo 2020); Britain's most decorated Olympic swimmer
How They Played
Versatile freestyle and medley swimmer with elite relay pedigree
Lasting Impact
Redefined British swimming's relay dominance and stands as Scotland's most decorated Olympian in any sport
Career Honours
- 2x Olympic gold, 6x Olympic silver (8 medals total)
- Britain's most decorated Olympic swimmer
- Scotland's most decorated Olympian
- 5x World champion
- MBE for services to swimming
British Athletes