Duncan Scott pays special visit to Grangemouth ASC as part of centenary celebrations

Having sealed four gold medals in Paris over the summer, ex-FIRST swimmer Scott was on hand to direct two hours of demos at Grangemouth Sports Complex, coaching and racing against the stars of the future.

He also took part in a question and answer session following by time for selfies and autographs.

​“Having a local hero and role model like Duncan visit was a very fitting way to mark our centenary," Grangemouth's vice-president Niel Taylor said. “The swimmers (and parents) were absolutely buzzing to have met Duncan up close and personal.

"We've had an enormous amount of positive feedback from parents and swimmers alike and are now looking forward to our centenary ceilidh at Grangemouth Town Hall this Saturday night.”

Club youngsters also completed video analysis of some of Scott’s biggest races with ex-Commonwealth Games swimmer Rob Lee – who is now one of Grangemouth’s masters’ squad swimmers.

On returning to his former club, Scott told the Falkirk Herald that he was delighted to have played his part in celebrating the club's centenary.

"This is a special place to me, it is the club that I came through,” he said. “To be able give back here, even for a short period of time, feels really nice.

"Throughout my journey, they’ve always supported me really well. That is special.

"I’m hoping that the kids can take a lot from the session and I still keep in touch with a good few people from the club regularly.”

The backdrop to the centenary celebrations was the striking mural of Scott, which was installed at Grangemouth Sports Complex earlier this year back in March with the hope of inspiring local swimmers.

And having seen the artwork for the first time last Saturday afternoon – the 27-year-old said that is simply focused on giving back to the next generation of Scottish swimmers.

"That is the first time I seen it. It is not the reason I do the sport,” Scott said. “I have goals and ambitions for sure but for me it is all about remembering that I was a young swimmer looking up to others and now I am in the position to give back to to others when I can.”

Looking back on his stunning summer, Scott admitted that his achievements haven’t fully sunken in yet.

He said: “I think the experience from Tokyo really helped me digest the experience in Paris, it started off probably not the way I wanted to start the competition but the finish probably exceeded expectations.

"It (being Scotland’s most decorated Olympian) is not something I am used to yet. I wake up every morning and say it back to myself.

“Not really, I’ll keep saying that Chris (Hoy) has got way more golds, and I think that’s probably the most important thing, but it’s just a real honour to be mentioned in that bracket with athletes like that.

“There’s still plenty more in the sport that I would like to achieve.”