World Champs end on medal-winning note for University of Bath-based swimmers Tom Dean, James Guy and Jacob Peters
Tom Dean completed a hat-trick of bronze medals as he and fellow University of Bath-based swimmers James Guy and Jacob Peters helped British Swimming end the 2022 FINA World Aquatics Championships on a high note.
The last event of a busy week in Budapest saw Bill Whiteley Sporting Scholar Dean hold off a strong challenge from Australia’s Kyle Chalmers on the freestyle leg to anchor the men’s 4x100m medley relay quartet of Luke Greenbank, James Wilby and Guy to third place in 3:31.81.
Dean – bronze-medallist in the men’s 200m freestyle – and Guy had also finished third in the 4x200m freestyle relay, while it was a first-ever World Championships medal for British Swimming Performance Centre Bath team-mate Peters who had swum the butterfly leg in the morning’s heats.
“I’ve never done a medley before so it’s really special to be a part of it,” said Dean who, like Guy and Peters, is coached by David McNulty at the Team Bath Sports Training Village. “When I saw everyone celebrating I knew we were on the podium, so that was quite special.”
Fellow Olympic Champion Guy added: “The main goal for this meet was just to try to see what we’ve got. This year has been quite a weird year, having a World Championships thrown in, but to get a bronze on the world stage at the start of a big year is very, very good.”
The final night of the swimming programme also saw University of Bath alumna Anna Hopkin finish seventh in the women’s 50m freestyle.
The previous night had seen Ben Proud – who was coached by Mark Skimming at the University of Bath until returning to his Energy Standard training base in Turkey earlier this summer – win Britain’s only gold of the World Championships with a stunning display in the men’s 50m freestyle.
“For me, this is a very special moment,” said Proud, who had won the world 50m butterfly title in the same pool five years ago. “I’ll go back to my team, show them the medal and everyone who has supported me this past few months really deserved something.”
Focus now turns to the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games with 13 swimmers based at the University of Bath and two alumni selected to represent their countries. Click here to find out more.
