Scottish swimmer strikes double gold to put Britain top of the medals table

Macinnes emulates Shanahan and Evans in Paris

Scottish swimmer Keanna Macinnes struck double gold on the final day of the 2026 European Aquatics Championships in Paris to propel Great Britain to the top of the medals table.

Britain's Keanna Macinnes celebrates winning the gold medal in the women's 200m butterfly swimming event during the LEN European Aquatics Championships at the Olympic Aquatic Centre in Saint-Denis, northern suburbs of Paris, on August 16, 2026. | AFP via Getty Images

placeholder image — Britain's Keanna Macinnes celebrates winning the gold medal in the women's 200m butterfly swimming event during the LEN European Aquatics Championships at the Olympic Aquatic Centre in Saint-Denis, northern suburbs of Paris, on August 16, 2026. | AFP via Getty Images

Macinnes, 24, produced a brilliant swim to win the women's 200 metres butterfly final then returned to the pool a couple of hours later as part of the GB relay team which triumphed in the 4x100m medley.

Britain finished the championships with eight swimming gold medals, two more than second-placed Italy, and Scottish athletes were the major contributors to the haul. Angharad Evans and Katie Shanahan joined Macinnes in winning solo events which meant three of the four individual golds secured by Britain's swimming team were won by Scottish women. The trio also joined forces in the successful relay squad.

All were building on a successful Commonwealth Games in Glasgow last month at which they secured medals, making it an outstanding summer for the three University of Stirling swimmers.

Edinburgh’s Macinnes was the star of the final night in Paris as she won the 200 fly in a new Scottish record time of 2min 5.90sec, beating defending champion Helena Rosendahl Bach of Denmark into second place. She barely had time to collect her medal before joining Evans, Lauren Cox and Freya Colbert in the medley relay final as Britain pipped Italy by a tenth of a second. Macinnes had also won three silvers and a bronze at the Commonwealth Games.

Building on the success of Glasgow

Shanahan was part of Britain's European Championships relay squad, swimming in the heat, and although she didn’t take part in the final, it was still a hugely rewarding meeting for the Bishopbriggs swimmer. The 22-year-old won silvers in the 200m backstroke and the medley relay at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in July but went one better in Paris to take gold in both events at the Euros.

Evans also took up from where she left off in Glasgow. After twinning two individual golds and a relay silver at the Commie Games, she won 100m breaststroke gold and 200m breaststroke silver in Paris as well as the relay gold. The 4x100m medley team set a new championship record of 3:53.50 in the final.

Team Great Britain (LtoR) Lauren Cox, Angharad Evans, Keanna Macinnes and Freya Colbert pose with their gold medals after the women's 4x100m medley relay swimming event during the LEN European Aquatics Championships at the Olympic Aquatic Centre in Saint-Denis, northern suburbs of Paris, on August 16, 2026. | AFP via Getty Images

It meant Britain’s swimming team finished the championships with a total of eight gold, two silver and four bronze medals.

Duncan Scott just misses out

Duncan Scott, Scotland’s most decorated swimmer, just missed out on a medal in the men’s 200m individual medley final, finishing fourth. Scott, 29, had won gold earlier in the championships as part of Britain’s 4x200m freestyle relay team. It was the eighth European Championships gold medal of his storied career.

Britain’s other gold medals in Paris were won by outstanding teenager Filip Nowacki in the 200m breaststroke, the women’s 4x200m freestyle relay team and the mixed 4x200m freestyle relay team.

Ian Wright, national coach at Scottish Swimming, praised the performances of the Scots who helped Britain top the medal table.

“The performances of our Scottish swimmers at the European Championships was outstanding, with athletes delivering world-class results under pressure and making a major contribution to Great Britain topping the medal table,” said Wright. “To see three Scottish athletes win individual European titles and break British records is a fantastic reflection of their talent, commitment and the quality of support around them.”