Tokyo Olympics: Tom Dean earns his second Olympic gold medal in men’s 4x200m freestyle final

Tom Dean became the first British man in 113 years to win two swimming golds at the same Olympics as Team GB‘s 4x200metres freestyle relay quartet sensationally stormed to victory.

Dean and Duncan Scott, who claimed an historic one-two in Tuesday’s individual 200m freestyle, were joined by James Guy and Matthew Richards as they won in a time of 6min 58.58sec – just three hundredths outside the world record.

They finished a mammoth 3.23sec ahead of the Russian Olympic Committee, with Australia winning bronze and the USA, the former dominant force, trailing in fourth.

Tom Dean (left) became the first British man in 113 years to win two swimming golds at the same Olympics as Team GB ‘s 4x200metres freestyle relay quartet sensationally stormed to victory in the pool on Wednesday

Individual 200m freestyle gold and silver winners Dean and Duncan Scott won alongside James Guy and Matthew Richards

Dean, Guy (right) and Roberts (centre) celebrate the moment of glory as they won the 4x200metres freestyle relay

It is Great Britain’s third gold of these glorious Games – their best tally since 1908 – and their fourth altogether.

Scott and Guy were part of the Team GB quartet who won a silver in this relay at Rio 2016 behind a Michael Phelps-led USA team.

But they upgraded that here at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre with Scott now able to call himself an Olympic gold medallist having collected three previous silvers.

Team GB are now only two medals away from equalling their best haul at an overseas Games – the six they claimed in Rio – and are three shy from the record seven they won at London 1908.

Scott joins his team-mates to savour the moment as GB won their third swimming gold of these glorious Games

Guy dives in for his leg of the relay as Dean touches base (left); and the moment the team realises that gold has been secured

Dean (top) leads from Alexander Graham of Australia as the relay gets underway in Tokyo’s aquatics centre

Dean said: ‘I can’t put it into words. I couldn’t yesterday and I can’t today. I can’t thank these boys enough. Unreal. I’ve trained with this man every single day, you can see how much it means to us.

‘Just a big thank you to Callum Jarvis who is sitting in the crowd. We couldn’t have done it without him.’ 

Scott, who won silver in the 200m freestyle on Tuesday, added: ‘For myself and Jimmy in particular, we have been on so many 4x2s.

‘In 2016 we came second and that was a monster achievement at the time. Matt in third was so composed and the boys up front executed. We were so close to the world record in the end. If anything I’m a bit gutted.’

Dean shows off the world-beating technique that has seen him make history in the Olympic pool this week

A proud Dean became the first British man in 113 years to win two swimming golds at the same Olympic Games

Scott, the individual silver medallist behind Dean realises he has gone one better to win gold in the relay competition

Guy shows his emotions as he sheds tears at victory (left), as well as letting out a huge roar of triumph (right)

The Australian relay team, who won the bronze medal, applaud GB’s winning foursome onto the top of the podium