The last race of the British swimming trials in April and, following a showdown as competitive as most Olympic finals, the four men who had just done battle linked arms.
Matt Richards and Duncan Scott were first and second that day in the 200m freestyle but, in edging out Tom Dean and James Guy – men also with Olympic and World golds to their name – the prevailing impression was of being part of something rather bigger.
Team GB’s ‘awesome foursome’ from Tokyo – the squad that had dethroned the USA for the first time in a generation in the blue riband men’s 4x200m relay, were confirmed as the team for Paris. No same quartet had ever defended an Olympic title before.
No British team in swimming or athletics had ever won consecutive Olympic relay golds either but, in this most individual of sports, it has become clear that they have the most precious team asset of all. They genuinely like each and, in often making the relay their priority, actually grow in stature and performance when they come together as a team. An infectious chemistry and camaraderie is obvious.
To dethrone the United States just once was remarkable enough. To do so again here in Paris, while also demolishing swimming nations of the might and resource of Australia, China and France, stands with any British team achievement in Olympic history.
Guy has previously even suggested that he might have stopped swimming were it not for the relay tradition that is being established and, at the age now of 28, is looking ahead to a potential fourth Olympics. He was also really the man who set the wheels in motion almost a decade ago when he won the individual 200m at the 2015 World Championship and then helped Britain win the relay in Kazan.
He was also sensational on the first leg here, comfortably out swimming the American Luke Hobson to send out the most emphatic possible message. Hobson had just won individual bronze but Guy, theoretically the slowest that Britain had on their team, comfortably showed him his heels.
“The momentum from 2015, when Jimmy won those two golds was a huge factor in this,” said Scott. “If you have a relay team proving they can win medals on the international stage, the youngest ones notice that. And say, ‘I want to get on the team, it’s a great way to get medals’.”
Dean, who missed the chance to defend his individual Olympic 200m freestyle title, reckons that the British trials race between them was “probably the most competitive event in any country in swimming”.
But there was no trace of bitterness at having his own personal ambitions thwarted, just an understanding that, as has been the case at World Championships when Richards and Scott have missed out, it is the price you pay for having the best relay squad in the world.
Richards also sees direct lineage to himself, the baby of the team at 18 when they triumphed in Tokyo but now also an individual world champion and Olympic silver medallist.
“The knowledge has been passed down – from Jimmy to Duncan; from Duncan to Deano, and now Deano to me,” says Richards. “We have all also pushed each other on. You know you have to go so fast to get those individual sports before we even get to the Games.
“We are also great friends outside of the pool; really good mates and have a special bond. We have achieved things that we will forever share together. We are the first team in history in any relay event at the Olympics to defend the title with the same four people. It’s a privilege and an honour to be a part of that team with those four boys.”
A further unusual factor is that they have largely been based in all different parts of Britain and coached by different people. Scott, whose medal makes him the most decorated British Olympic swimmer, is a huge fan of the great sportspeople who show longevity, and thinks they all share a basic passion for the sport.
They do also get together at various points each year for relay camps, major championships and four-week bouts of altitude training when, according to Scott, they inspire each other to further heights. “There’s a mutual respect and that pushes us all on,” says Scott. “They have all achieved things in the sport that I have never done – and likewise with me and them.”
And yet it is what they have now achieved together that is the standout accomplishment of them all.
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