Maidenhead's Tom Dean is a double Olympic champion after Team GB secure relay gold

Maidenhead’s Tom Dean is a double Olympic champion after helping Team GB to another gold medal in the 4x200m freestyle final in Tokyo this morning (Wednesday).

Having stormed to a sensational individual gold in the 200m freestyle yesterday (Tuesday), the Maidenhead swimmer teamed up with silver medallist Duncan Scott, James Guy and Matthew Richards to produce a dominant display in the relay, missing out on the world record by just 0.03 seconds.

They won in 6minutes,58.58 seconds, more than three seconds clear of the Russian Olympic Committee who took silver and Australia who won bronze, with the US team, who made a quick start, fading on the final leg.

Tears of sheer joy from James Guy!

This is what it means to win gold for #TeamGB!

What a fantastic race and what a fantastic moment #bbcolympics #Tokyo2020 pic.twitter.com/uv0XHaxTJq

— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) July 28, 2021

Victory means that Dean becomes the first British male swimmer to win two gold medals at the same Olympics since 1908.

Olympic champion Dean led the team out, but they were pushed hard by the US team who initially built a sizable lead. Guy cut into that lead with a strong second leg and Richards was able to swim away from the Americans and the rest of the field on the third leg, giving Scott a healthy advantage to bring the team home just outside of a new world best.

Great Britain have now won three swimming golds at an Olympics for the first time in 113 years.

Speaking afterwards Dean said: "I don't think I can put it into words. I couldn't yesterday and i don't think I can today. I can't thank these boys enough, from the bottom of my heart."

Afterwards Scott admitted the team were ‘a bit gutted not to get the world record’, which shows just how confident they were going into the final.

Guy won silver in the event in Rio four years ago and was overwhelmed when Scott touched home to secure gold.

“After 25 years to do it, finally, it’s very emotional,” he told the BBC. “It’s a dream come true.”

To put this week’s success in the pool into context, between 1928 and 2004 GB won five swimming golds. They’ve since won six, with three of them coming this week.