Another day, and another unbelievable gold medal for Great Britain’s swimmers at the Olympics. World record time in the mixed 4x100m relay set by the team of Kathleen Dawson, Adam Peaty, James Guy, and Anna Hopkin: 3 minutes, 37.58 seconds.
It was Britain’s seventh swimming medal overall and their fourth gold of the week. That’s more than they earned at the Olympics from 1988 and 2016.
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4×100 Mixed Medley Relay World Record
When the Games were last this successful, men wore wool bodysuits and waxed their moustaches, while women were barred from participating. If they can win just one more medal on Sunday, it will be their most successful Olympic swimming competition ever.
This was the first Olympic Games to include a mixed relay, and the teams’ attempts to strategize for the event resulted in a wide variety of tactics. Team USA, who appeared to be the strongest, was the only one to put a guy (Caeleb Dressel) on the last freestyle leg.
Given that he had already broken the world record in the 100-meter butterfly and won the semi-finals in the 50-meter freestyle earlier in the session, it was asking a lot of him. Insane, GB, he exclaimed.
The runner-up, China, and the bronze medalists Australia also chose active-duty military swimmers for their team. Having more rested swimmers gave the British a leg up. This did not happen by chance. Before dropping out to focus on the relay, Guy was scheduled to swim the 100-meter butterfly with Dressel.
The gamble paid off when he posted a split of 50 seconds dead, propelling the team to first place, but it cost him the opportunity to win a medal on his own. He would have earned bronze in the individual competition had he been able to run the same time from a standing start in the individual heat.
Dressel: The Best Sprint Swimmer in the World,
He admitted that it stung to abandon his butterfly stroke, but that the gold medal and world record were worth the sacrifice.
As a result of his selflessness, the squad gained an advantage over their main competitors. It also reaffirmed the correctness of the decision to bench Duncan Scott despite his red-hot play. Peaty claimed, “I’ve been racing with Jimmy for a decade.” Having a history and a fraternity that no other club shares is one of our greatest assets.
With a time of 56.78 seconds, Peaty swam an incredible breaststroke leg. He easily outran 17-year-old US 100-meter champion Lydia Jacoby, who kept running despite losing her goggles.
Thus, by the time Hopkin entered the pool for the final leg of the freestyle competition, she had a half-second advantage over China. Hopkin, who shares Peaty’s coach, Mel Marshall, swam superbly and crossed the finish line in 52 seconds. Because “these guys got me such a tremendous lead,” she was confident she could maintain her advantage over the women.
Dressel, the best sprint swimmer in the world, would have to settle for eighth place, six seconds behind the leader. As Hopkin put it, “there’s simply so much going on there’s no point looking at anyone else; I just knew I was not going to lose that lead.”
It’s an Accomplishment to be Able to Say, ‘I defeated Caeleb Dressel,’ she said.
This gold medal marked Peaty’s third Olympic victory and his fourth overall, making it his 14th world record. Dawson, who swam the opening backstroke leg, and Hopkin both noted that the team’s recent success can be traced in large part to Dawson and the example he sets for the rest of the swimmers.
I don’t think Peaty expected to get any credit for it. “British swimming has absolutely flipped; it’s unbelievable; and it’s down to people back home discovering the 1% improvements,” he remarked. “I’d like to express my gratitude to a symphony of individuals.”
Conclusion
He talked about the people who had worked through the night to get Peaty the information he needed when he got to work.
As a nation, British swimming has struggled, and I hope they are finally recognised for their efforts. He stated, “I hope now people realise how difficult it is.” I’ve been at this for seven years now, since 2014, and to be honest, I never imagined we’d get to where we are as a team.
