SOMETIMES it is the simple things that provide the most satisfaction. Two Olympic silver medals were Duncan Scott’s most obvious return for years of dedication and sacrifice in and out of the pool but, with his final swim of the Games over, the 19-year-old from Alloa felt he had merited another reward for all his endeavours.

“In the Olympic village there was free McDonalds so myself and a few others were going to town on that after we were finished our races,” Scott, one of the Sunday Herald’s Six to Follow over the past year, recalls with a laugh. “The queue was so long so we would put in ridiculously large orders and stuff our faces. You don’t get to do that kind of thing too often.”

Few could argue he did not deserve to celebrate as he saw fit. These were meant to be the “bonus” Olympics for the teenager with the focus on peaking in Tokyo in 2020 but, both individually and in relay events, he more than made his mark in Rio.

In the 100m freestyle he reached the final, broke then matched a British record that had stood for eight years, and ended up taking fifth place, narrowly missing out on a medal. His ranking meant he had not even been expected to reach the semi-final, but he and coach Steve Tigg sensed an opportunity.

“Steve and I had sat down beforehand and thought that [a time of] 47 high would probably take third place – and it ended up being 47.85 for bronze,” he said. “So he told me I just needed to keep hacking away at my PB [personal best] and see what happens. People aren’t always going to swim their fastest times but I knew I could because I’m young. So I just had to focus on what I was doing and see how I coped with being in an Olympic semi-final and then the final.

“I ended up less than 0.2 of a second away from winning bronze so I was a bit gutted about that. But I went in ranked 26th and ended up finishing fifth so I’ve got to be happy. To finally get a British record as well was also quite special as it had stood for quite a while. So I was delighted to get that. And to do it at an Olympic Games was the icing on the cake.

“I didn’t feel as if there was any pressure on me at all. I’m 19 years old and wasn’t among the favourites so I just went there and had some fun. That’s why I compete, I enjoy swimming against the best of the world. You just have to take everything in and try to progress swim after swim. And luckily I was able to move things on each time.”

A more tangible reward for his efforts would come in the 4x200m freestyle and 4x100m individual medley relays, Scott and James Guy the only two Brits to swim in both and take silver medals behind the Americans.

“In the two relays I don’t think we could have done much more in either,” he said. “The Americans were favourite in both events so I don’t think we could have pushed them much more for gold than we did. Getting that first medal was incredible. When Jimmy [Guy] touched the wall it felt weird, it didn’t feel right. When I was doing the laps that you do after you’ve got your medal it started to sink in that I had just won an Olympic silver medal. It was a special thing. And then I was lucky enough to get another one.”

Scott, not hugely trumpeted in advance, became one of the British stars of the first week in Rio. His coach, sensing something special might be about to unfold, gave his young charge one particular piece of advice.

“Steve told me to turn my notifications off [on his social media accounts] before I competed to remove any distractions. He told me, 'you never know what could happen if you swim well, people might be tweeting or messaging you'. So I turned those off and even after the night we won the first silver I was buzzing but still able to sleep.”

Of all the folk wanting to shake his hand or chirrup their congratulations, one brief chat with Michael Phelps, swimming’s greatest of all time, stayed with Scott more than most.

“It was incredible to watch how he goes about things and I managed to get a wee chat with him too. Nothing too long. Can’t waste the GOAT’s time! But it was great to talk with him.”

Trips to McDonald’s were not the only perk once Scott switched on his metaphorical Out of Office notification. He made the most of his free week in Rio and now safely back home has a month to relax and completely switch off from swimming.

“I managed to get two tickets for me and [swimmer] Cameron Kurle to see the men’s Olympic football final. I think we were the only two British folk there. It was class seeing Brazil against Germany, watching Neymar and the rest.

“Now I’m home and I’ve got five weeks off which is great. I’ll go on holiday with my mum, dad and sister and just get a rest mentally and physically. I’ll not be going anywhere near a pool or watching swimming videos or the like.”

He will happily show off his medals to anyone that asks – a trip to his old school Strathallan is on the agenda – but, that aside, he is already ready to leave Rio behind and start thinking about the future.

“It’s over. I’m out the Olympic bubble and it’s time to move on. I’ll probably still talk about it for a while now and if people want to see the medals then of course they can. But it’s done now. I’ll relax for a few weeks, sit down with Steve and see what where we go from here. I’ve swam in an Olympic final individually and competed in two more in the relays. I’ve got two medals now. But I have to try to move that on again. That will be a hard challenge but that’s what I have aim for.”