Scott claims first European short course title

Duncan Scott set a British record as he claimed his first individual European short course title in the men’s 200m individual medley in Romania.

Scott, winner of four medals at the Tokyo Olympics two years ago, clocked one minute 50.98 seconds to take gold.

The 26-year-old finished 2.11 secs clear of Italy’s Alberto Razzetti, with Lithuania’s Danas Rapsys taking bronze.

Britons Anna Hopkin and Freya Anderson won silver and bronze respectively in the women’s 100m freestyle.

France’s Beryl Gastaldello edged Hopkin (51.66 secs) to gold by 0.18 secs, while Anderson was not far behind in 52.10 secs.

Joe Litchfield (1:53.57) placed outside of the medals with fourth in the men’s 200m individual medley, 0.08 secs behind Rapsys.

Meanwhile, in the men’s 100m backstroke final, Luke Greenbank (50.30 secs) was fifth as Mewen Tomac of France won in 49.72 secs.

Britain’s Edward Mildred was seventh in the men’s 200m butterfly final in 1:53.53, with that event won by Switzerland’s Noe Ponti in 1:49.71.

In the women’s 50m backstroke final, Medi Harris, winner of in the women’s 200m backstroke. gold on Thursday, placed seventh in 26.75 secs.

British team-mate Kathleen Dawson (26.83) – a member of GB’s bronze medal-winning women’s 4x50m medley relay team – was a place behind in eight as the Netherlands’ Kira Toussaint (25.82) took the title.

Scott, who became the most decorated British athlete at a single Olympics when he claimed four medals in Tokyo in 2021, was in second after 75m of the men’s 200m individual medley final, behind Razzetti.

But he powered away from the competition over the second half of the race to win Britain’s fifth gold of the championships.

The European Short Course Swimming Championships in the Romanian town of Otopeni run until 10 December.