At the same Olympic Games, Scott made history by becoming Great Britain’s most decorated athlete in any sport at one Olympic Games and the most decorated Olympic swimmer ever. His haul included silvers in individual 200m freestyle and 200 individual medley, plus another second-place finish with his team in the 4x100m medley. 

"Those races were massive PBs and are still the best performances I’ve ever delivered and I just fell short. So I know if I'm at my best, I'll give myself the best chance," Scott told BBC Sport Scotland. 

The 27-year-old heads into his third Olympics with yet another full programme. Scott will compete individually in the 200m free and individual medley and in the team 4x100m and 4x200m freestyle relay. His 4x200m squad will head to Paris as world champions and just half a second shy of the world record.

Scott says the 200m individual medley, comprised of all four strokes, is his focus as the holder of world and Olympic silver.

"It’s the ultimate test of the all-around swimmer and that’s one of the main reasons I enjoy it so much," Scott told the Independent. “There are so many fine details that you can work on.

Team GB will be going in the final on Saturday, and Scott is already straining to get into the water and try to further upholster his medal tally.

"We get this limelight every four years and there is a lot more noise than we're used to, but I let people outside say what they want and have whatever expectations they want. I know not every swim is going to be perfect and some are going to fall short of what I want and some will go really well. But it’s about trying not to use up any extra emotional energy and just concentrating on my own expectations," he said.

Men’s swimming begins Saturday at 11:30 CEST with the 100m breaststroke.