Men's 4x200m freestyle relay team make history with Olympic gold

Swimming 30 Jul 24

They did what no British relay team has ever done before: successfully defend their Olympic title.

Three years on from their Tokyo 2020 feat, the fantastic four of Duncan Scott, Matt Richards, Tom Dean and James Guy clinched back-to-back 4x200m freestyle relay victories in Paris in a time of 6:59.43.

It was Team GB's first gold in the swimming pool of Paris 2024 and their fourth of the Games overall.

And it was something that no British relay had been able to do at the Olympics, either in the pool or on the track. Until now.

Scott said: "I think we are the first male or female [team] to defend a relay title, and there have been so many great individual athletes in that run.

"When we come together as a team, it is really special. Me and Jimmy [James Guy] were part of the team in 2016, and to get three Olympic medals in a row is amazing.

"I am just so proud of what we were all able to do out there. It was so loud, the atmosphere was phenomenal.

"I am just proud of how we all swam our legs. Jimmy did a lifetime best this morning, his best since 2015, and then Tom and Matt also brought it back so strong. I am buzzing with that."

Dean and Guy were joined by Jack McMillan and Kieran Bird in the heats as Team GB qualified fastest for the final.

And what a final it was. The exact same four that went in Tokyo, but a slightly different order.

Guy led off on the relay after setting a new personal best of 1:45.04 in the morning, and returned with an equally strong time, just 0.05 seconds off his heat swim.

Tokyo 2020 champion in the individual event, Dean was back in the water for the second leg, holding off attacks from all over the pool from Australia, the USA and Germany.

Back to regularly scheduled programming, the third swimmer in Tokyo and the third swimmer in Paris, newly crowned Olympic silver medallist Richards took to the pool to extend Britain's lead to half a second with just one swimmer to go.

And Scott diving into the pool for the anchor leg with a lead, it was gold to lose.

Scott produced the fastest split of the final with a roaring 1:43.95, the only man under 1:44, to extend Team GB's lead to a comfortable second and a half and take the gold.

It was a history making moment that will linger in the pool for sessions to come, with the USA clinching silver and Australia making up the podium in bronze.

Sportsbeat 2024

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