Tokyo Olympics: Adam Peaty helps Team GB storm to gold in the mixed 4×100 medley relay

Adam Peaty and James Guy secured their second and Team GB‘s fourth gold medal in the Tokyo pool with an incredible win in the inaugural Olympic mixed 4x100metres medley relay.

The quartet of Kathleen Dawson, Peaty, Guy and Anna Hopkin clocked a new world record of 3min 37.58sec to beat China by 1.28sec, with Australia in third. The USA, anchored by Caeleb Dressel, could only finish fifth.

The stunning victory took Great Britain’s medal tally here at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre up to seven – matching their record from a single Games, dating way back to London 1908.

Adam Peaty’s heroics helped Team GB cruise to gold in the 4x100m mixed medley relay

Peaty is left delighted after Britain’s win as he embraces James Guy on the side of the pool 

Guy (L) lets out a huge roar alongside Peaty after Britain’s phenomenal display 

Peaty helped catch Team GB up after a slow start as the team secured a world record time 

When asked what made Team GB’s swimmers so special, Peaty told the BBC: ‘One word has changed the whole British team – belief. 

‘We believe we can win, we believe we can get world records. If you have belief you can build everything around that and we showed that tonight.’ 

Hopkin had the daunting task of going toe-to-toe with USA superstar swimmer Caeleb Dressel, but insists she stayed focused on her own performance, admitting it was a ‘privilege’ to be part of the team.

‘I was trying not to think about (Dressel chasing her down). I was trying not to think about how far ahead we were from them,’ she told the BBC.

Peaty said a belief in the team is what makes Team GB’s swimmers so special this summer

‘It’s just irrelevant when you’re in the water – you’ve just got to race. When I turned I saw I still had a good bit of water in front of me and I just went for it. 

‘It’s an amazing feeling and privilege to be in this team.’ 

This event has been added to the Olympics schedule for the first time – where two males and two females must be selected but the nation can use any combination in the backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly and freestyle splits.

Kathleen Dawson in action as she played her part to help win a seventh Olympic gold for GB

A stunning display means Team GB have now earned a fourth gold in the pool this summer

It means the lead can change hands multiple times as men and women can race against each other in the same leg of an event that was first introduced for long course swimming at the 2015 World Championship.

Dawson started with the backstroke and her time of 58.8s meant Peaty leapt into the pool with Britain sixth, and the 100m breaststroke gold medallist’s astonishing split of 56.78s helped them up into fourth.

Guy, who won his first gold earlier this week in the men’s 4x200m freestyle relay, clocked exactly 50s in the butterfly to take Britain into the lead and Hopkin finished in 52s flat to spark exuberant celebrations.