Duncan Scott inspired Scotland to a brilliant relay bronze medal on another golden night in the Commonwealth Games pool for the host nation.
The most-decorated Scottish athlete in Games history anchored team-mates Matt Ward, Angharad Evans and Keanne Macinnes in a stunning mixed 4x100m relay final.
It was a 15th Commonwealth medal for 29-year-old Scott and came at the end of an evening which began memorably for the home crowd with Stephen Clegg winning gold with a superb display in the 50m freestyle S13 final.
The 30-year-old, a double Paralympic champion in Paris two years ago, added to the silver medal he claimed in the 100m freestyle S13 last Friday night.
Scott added another chapter to his storied career with a magnificent final freestyle leg in the relay which saw him lift Scotland from sixth place to third.
Australia won the race in a new Games record time of 3:40.46 for their 28th gold of the meet, equalling their record tally from the Gold Coast in 2018, with South Africa taking silver.
Duncan Scott with his Scotland mixed 4×100 relay team-mates after claiming bronze
‘The three legs before me tonight were exceptional,’ said Scott. ‘People have to understand how high quality a field that was, so it’s an amazing bronze for us.’
It was a landmark evening for 18-year-old Filip Nowacki, seen as the heir-apparent to English superstar Adam Ramsay-Peaty, who claimed his first major title with a commanding win in the 200m breaststroke final.
Nowacki, who took silver ahead of Ramsay-Peaty in the 100m breaststroke final on Saturday, had already secured Jersey’s first Commonwealth Games medal of any colour in 36 years.
In topping the podium last night, he collected only the second Commonwealth gold in the Channel Island’s history after Colin Mallett won the open full bore rifle shooting event at Auckland in 1990.
Nowacki was always in command of a final which saw the Scottish duo of Josh Mitchell and George Smith finish sixth and seventh respectively.
‘It’s a special moment to do it for Jersey,’ said Nowacki who is widely tipped to be a medal contender for Great Britain at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. ‘It’s the next step in my progression and it’s a night I’ll never forget.’
Katie Shanahan, silver medallist in the 200m backstroke on the opening night of Games last Friday, came close to adding to her tally when she finished fourth in the 200m individual medley final.
The 22-year-old Glaswegian, who won bronze in the same event in Birmingham four years ago, led a high quality field at the halfway stage after a brilliant backstroke leg.
Shanahan was reeled in by her rivals, however, as Australia’s Jenna Forrester powered through for her third gold medal of the Games. Aimee Canny of South Africa took silver with English teenager Amalie Smith grabbing bronze.
‘I’m actually delighted with that,’ said Shanahan. ‘I didn’t expect to do that tonight. I touched first after the backstroke then couldn’t really see what was going on. I died a bit at the end but I gave it my best shot. I’ll take that.’
Palnackie’s Charlie Hutchison finished seventh in the men’s 400m individual medley final as Lewis Clareburt of New Zealand successfully defended the title he won at Birmingham 2022.
