Tokyo 2020: gold for Team GB after impressive freestyle relay win

Team GB added a fifth gold to their medal tally after a dominant victory in the men’s 4x200m freestyle relay.

200m champion Tom Dean, silver medallist Duncan Scott, James Guy and Matthew Richards won in six minutes 58.58 seconds, 0.03 seconds over the world record, setting a new British record, European record and the third-fastest time in history. They were 3.23 seconds clear of the second-placed Russian Olympic Committee. The bronze medal went to Australia.

Great Britain were the favourites for the event after a strong qualifying performance. Dean’s lead-off leg covered the 200m in 1:45.72, which left the team in second place, behind the USA. However, after Guy put the team ahead with a strong second leg, their impressive lead never looked in any risk. Scott finished the event with a leg of 1:43.45, the fifth-fastest relay split in history.

The victory means Dean becomes the first British male swimmer to win two golds at the same Olympic Games since 1908.

It is also the first time in 113 years that Great Britain have won three swimming gold medals at an Olympics.

Team GB’s swimmers have proven incredibly dominant during this Olympics, and Scott still has three more events to go – it is entirely possible that he will add more medals to his already impressive collection of one gold and three silvers.

Meanwhile, for the rest of the team, talk is shifting to them inevitably breaking the relay world record as they dominate this event at Paris 2024.