Tokyo 2020: Relay silver for James Guy means University of Bath-based swimmers are bringing home eight Olympic medals after incredible week
Swimmers who train at the University of Bath are bringing a phenomenal eight medals home from Tokyo 2020, seven of them gold, after helping Team GB enjoy their most successful Olympics Games in the pool ever.
British Swimming National Centre Bath star James Guy completed a hat-trick of medals in the last event of an incredible week as he teamed up with Luke Greenbank, Adam Peaty and Duncan Scott to win men’s 4x100m medley relay silver in a new European Record of 3:27.51.
Guy, coached by David McNulty, had previously won gold in the men’s 4x200m freestyle relay and mixed 4x100m medley relay as part of a British Swimming squad that medalled in eight events in Tokyo, securing a best-ever medal haul.
“This week for British Swimming has been unbelievable, medals all over the place,” said Guy, who also won two silver at Rio 2016. “We’ve had a great week. We missed out on gold today but they [the United States] broke the world record and we’ve played our part.”
Sunday’s success means that five swimmers will be returning to their Team Bath Sports Training Village training base with medals. Mechanical Engineering student Tom Dean, a Bill Whiteley Sporting Scholar, started the gold rush with an incredible victory in the 200m freestyle and was joined by Guy, Matt Richards and Sports Performance graduate Calum Jarvis in winning the 4x200m freestyle relay. Training partner Freya Anderson is also an Olympic Champion after her excellent anchor leg in the mixed 4x100m medley relay heats.
Sports & Exercise Science graduate Anna Hopkin, who swam the freestyle anchor leg in the mixed medley relay final, is also bringing home gold from her debut Olympic Games.
Earlier in the final morning of racing, Ben Proud – who has been training with University of Bath Head of Swimming Mark Skimming this year – went mighty close to claiming another medal in the men’s 50m freestyle final, his time of 21.72 in fifth place being less than two-tenths of a second off a podium place.
“It’s a tough one, that’s for sure,” he said. “A lot of people have invested their time and energy into me, I wish I could’ve brought them something home but that’s just how it is.
“Swimming has taken me on an amazing journey. To be at the Olympics, it’s been a tough year, a tough couple of years and I’m still motivated to come back and keep swimming. My family, my girlfriend, everyone has been massively supportive.
“The good thing is some of the athletes in there are getting well into their 30s and are still going, so I’ve got a couple more years left. I thought this one was a good one for me, it just didn’t quite happen but that’s how it is.”
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Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games Swimming Roll of Honour
Men’s 200m freestyle: Tom Dean – GOLD.
Men’s 4x200m freestyle relay: Tom Dean, Matt Richards, James Guy, Calum Jarvis – GOLD.
Mixed 4x100m medley relay: James Guy, Anna Hopkin (alumna), Freya Anderson – GOLD.
Men’s 4x100m freestyle relay: James Guy – SILVER.
Click here to find out more about the swimming programme at the University of Bath.
