Paris Olympics, Day 4 Finals: Great Britain Retain Men’s 4×200 Free Title With 1:43 Anchor By Duncan Scott

No four individuals had combined to win relay gold medals at two different Olympics.

The United States’ men’s 4×200 free relay came close when three of the winning quartet at Athens 2004 returned four years later to take gold in Beijing.

But that statistic has now been consigned to history after James Guy, Tom Dean, Matt Richards and Duncan Scott claimed 4x200m freestyle gold for Great Britain in Paris, three years after they triumphed in Tokyo to claim a third straight medal in the event, a run that started with silver at Rio 2016.

In Japan, they went within 0.03 of the USA’s 2009 WR in 6:58.58 for a European standard.

Three years and two days later, the quartet came together once again to win in 6:59.43 ahead of the USA (7:00.78) and Australia (7:01.98).

There was just 0.50secs to choose between Team GB and the USA at the final changeover but a huge 1:43.95 anchor leg by Scott propelled the quartet home for an historic victory.

• World Record: United States (Phelps, Berens, Walters, Lochte) – 6:58.55 (2009)
• Olympic Record: United States (Phelps, Lochte, Berens, Vanderkaay) – 6:58.56 (2008)
• Tokyo Olympic Champion: Great Britain (Dean, Guy, Richards, Scott) – 6:58.58
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It’s a squad of great depth: Dean led Scott home for a British 1-2 in Tokyo while Richards won the world title in 2023, one place ahead of the former, with the four coming together to take the title in Fukuoka.

On Monday, Richards was second in the individual event, 0.02 behind champion David Popovici, while Scott was fourth, missing the podium by 0.08.

In the prelims on Tuesday morning, Guy led the team off in 1:45.04, a time that would have placed fifth in the individual final.

It was a PB for the 28-year-old as he cut 0.10secs from his previous best of 1:45.14 that secured the world title at Kazan 2015 ahead of Sun Yang and Paul Biedermann.

He led off in the final in 1:45.09 with 400 free champion Lukas Martens second, 0.22 adrift, and 200 bronze medallist Luke Hobson a further 0.24 behind.

Dean split 1:45.28 to Carson Foster’s 1:45.31 as GB reached halfway in 3:30.37 to the USA’s 3:30.86 with Australia third in 3:31.52.

Richards was up against Drew Kibler with the Briton posting a split of 1:45.11 to the American’s 1:45.12 with the gap just 0.50secs while Australia were within 0.73 of the USA.

Scott extended the lead over Kieran Smith by 0.35 at the 700m mark and eventually came home in 1:43.95 with a 1.35second winning margin over the USA who returned to the podium after finishing fourth in Tokyo while Australia replicated their third-place finish.

China were fourth in 7:04.37 followed by France (7:04.80), South Korea (7:07.26), Japan (7:07.48), Germany (7:09.56) and Israel (7:10.22).

Scott and Guy have been on the British teams since Kazan 2015, where the former was replaced for the 4×2 final by the latter after he claimed the individual title.

Since then, they have been on three Olympic 4×2 podiums together and Scott said: “There are so many great individual athletes in that team. When we come together, it’s always really special.

“Me and Jimmy were part of that team in 2016 (so) to get three Olympic medals in a row.

“I’m just so proud of what they were able to do out there. It was so loud, the atmosphere was phenomenal, the French team were in there and any time they’re in the pool, it’s pretty electric.

“They were just so mature with how we swam our legs, from Jimmy – he did a lifetime best this morning and that was from 2015 which says it all. Jimmy and Matt swam really mature legs, they were able to come back really strong to give the next persona  great opportunity. So, I am buzzing with that.”

Duncan Scott: Photo courtesy: Deepbluemedia

Of whether it in any way poured some balm on his fourth-place finish in the individual, Scott added: “I’ve tried to kind of park what happened, that’s just the nature of sport. I know what I signed up for and sometimes you’re on the other side of it and yesterday I was and this time fortunate enough to have some pretty phenomenal teammates so I was able to be on the good time of it tonight.”

Of whether there was a contrast with the Tokyo victory, Dean said: “It feels different for so many reasons. It feels different because my family and friends were  there  in the crowd and that was the most special thing.

“It’s all I’ve been thinking about since we won it in Tokyo is wanting to do it again. It feels different because it’s the same quartet to defend an Olympic title and I think that’s the first time it’s ever happened and it feels different because the last three years haven’t been a straight line for anyone.

“Me, Jimmy, Matt, Duncan – there have been a lot of changes but we stepped up again in Olympic year and that’s what is really special.”

Guy paid tribute to his family and fiancee for their support and sacrifices, adding: “I think Tokyo is the number one because I was missing Olympic  gold. This one’s different because it was a PB time as well so they’re probably pretty similar. It’s like Caeleb Dressel. He was on the Rio 4×1 team that won gold, obviously they’ve won gold three times in a row now, but not quite there but to be crowned Olympic champions again with the same quartet is pretty special.”

Guy joked: “I’ll have to do four more years and beat them on their home turf! That might be a little bit harder when I’m 32.”