Commonwealth Games: Duncan Scott Sets Games Record, Holds Off Lewis Clareburt for 200 IM Win
For the second consecutive Commonwealth Games, Duncan Scott is golden in the men’s 200 individual medley. The 29-year-old has been one of the world’s best in this event for the past decade, and he secured this gold medal by holding off New Zealand veteran Lewis Clareburt in a tight finish. Moreover, Scott thrilled the crowd at Tollcross Aquatic Center as he secured gold while competing in his hometown of Glasgow, Scotland
Racing in lane two, Scott was in second place after 50 meters, two tenths behind countryman Evan Jones. He took over the lead with a 28.90 backstroke split, nine tenths better than anyone else in the field, and he kept his advantage on breaststroke, turning for home a whopping 1.28 seconds ahead of the field. Clareburt made it interesting down the stretch, coming home in 28.54, but Scott remained four tenths ahead.
The gold-medal-winning time was 1:56.38, allowing Scott to beat the previous Games record of 1:56.88 he set four years ago in Birmingham, England. Scott finished just off his season-best time of 1:56.08, which currently ranks No. 2 in the world behind Japan’s Tomoyuki Matsushita, and his lifetime best of 1:55.28 from 2021 ranks No. 9 in history. Overall, this marked the fourth time in three appearances at the Commonwealth Games that Scott has won gold. He previously topped the 100 freestyle in 2018 before winning double gold in the 200 free and 200 IM four years ago.
The podium featured the same three men as the 2022 edition of the Commonwealth Games, albeit in a different order after Scott. Clareburt claimed second in 1:56.77, an improvement of one spot from his bronze-medal finish in Birmingham. Bronze went to England’s Tom Dean in 1:57.22, down a place from 2022 but a solid return to form after tough results in 2025. Australia’s William Petric was the only other swimmer under 1:58, coming in at 1:57.87.
