SCOTTISH swimmer Kathleen Dawson has won a gold medal in the Tokyo Olympics in a team that achieved a world record time.
Dawson, from Kirkcaldy, won the 4x100m mixed medley relay in a world-record time of 3:37.58.
The 23-year-old was joined by Adam Peaty, James Guy and Anna Hopkin on the winning team. The result takes the number of medals won by Scottish athletes at the Tokyo Games to five.
Mike Whittingham, director of high Performance at sportscotland, said: “Team GB’s performances in the pool at the Tokyo Games have been nothing short of incredible and to see Scottish swimmers at the heart of that success is fantastic.
“Huge congratulations to Kathleen on a well-deserved gold medal and also to her coach, her support team and everyone at Scottish Swimming. They have all worked so hard for this moment, which highlights the strength of the sport at all levels here in Scotland. But today is all about Kathleen, She deserves all the plaudits and praise coming her way.”
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Dawson attended Stirling University and swim coach Steven Tigg is in Tokyo supporting the Team GB swimmers. He said:
“Kathleen has been so steady in this championship – she has carried herself impeccably, despite struggling with a slight injury in the lead up and during the meet. It has been so impressive to see.
“After her anterior cruciate ligament injury in 2018, this achievement may have seemed impossible. But the support in place within the programme, along with her determination, has culminated in her dream becoming a reality.
“When I spoke to Kathleen after the race, she was still in a bit of shock – but being an Olympic champion and world record breaker does that!”
Looking back on the race, he said: “The Mixed Medley is a really exciting event. I have been fortunate to lead the GB team since 2017 and we have just enough pieces to complete the puzzle, as well as some amazing back up athletes.
“China and the USA led off with two incredibly strong males either side of us and Kathleen had to stand her ground and not be fazed or bullied – it's her lane and she controls what happens in it. Passing over to Adam, James and Anna was more than enough to get the job done.
“We have one more day of competition tomorrow morning and look forward to sending Team GB out with a bang!”
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