James Guy won his second gold medal and third medal overall at the world championships as he clawed back a deficit of a body length to anchor the British men’s 4x200m freestyle relay team to victory in Russia. The 19-year-old had already claimed the 200m individual title as well as silver in the 400m freestyle but he dived in for the final leg in third place, 1.64 seconds behind the United States who had a clear lead with Russia in second.
However, the Millfield swimmer likes hunting down his prey and, after overhauling the Russian, set about eating into the Americans’ lead. On the final length Guy first drew level with Michael Weiss before passing him to lead the quartet of Dan Wallace, Robbie Renwick and Calum Jarvis home in 7min 4.33sec. The United States were second with Australia third.
It means Great Britain have equalled their best medal tally from Barcelona in 2003 and Cali, Colombia, in 1975 with two more days remaining. Five gold medals, however, is by some distance their best title-winning return with two at a single championships their previous best.
Guy, who swam a stunning split of 1min 44.74sec, said: “That was great. It was a huge team effort. The guys set it up nice and good and I knew if I was top three I had a chance of bringing it back but I never thought we’d get the gold. It’s the best British team we’ve ever had and this relay is definitely something we’re going to look out for next year. It was all about staying calm and not getting too tense in the first 100m. You’ve just got to enjoy it. The main thing is to come here and have fun.”
Coming through the interview area, Guy was calm and unruffled. “I think it’s just the way I am really,” he said. “I was more nervous at trials than I was here which is very weird.
“Since I have been here I think something has changed. I remember the 400 free and walking out and the crowd roaring, something just switched inside me and I was so pumped and ready to go. That is why I love the sport, the crowd cheering and everyone roaring. It’s fantastic.”
Guy stands 6ft 2in tall with clenched jaw and jutting chest but he was not always such an imposing athlete. As a 12-year-old he was sent to boarding school at Millfield, a difficult step for a home-loving youngster from Bury.
“I cried every night,” he admits. “I didn’t like boarding, I am a family man, I didn’t like that at all. It was cool being away from home for a couple of weeks but then I really started to miss it. Dad was down there working so I saw him at weekends but I only saw my mum and my brother Luke once every seven or eight weeks.”
He ascribes his competitive streak to his father’s side of the family. His grandfather, George, was a champion boxer in his native India before he moved over to Britain where Guy’s father, Andrew, was born.
Wallace was fourth in Thursday night’s 200m individual medley with his specialist 400m individual medley to come. Andrew Willis was also fourth, in the 200m breaststroke.
