Tokyo 2020 - Adam Peaty: GB swimming 'a force to be reckoned with' after picking up medley relay gold
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ByEurosport
Updated 31/07/2021 at 06:29 GMT
Team GB produced yet another gold medal in the swimming on Saturday, breaking the world record to win the 4x100m mixed medley relay. Adam Peaty, who has won his second gold medal at Tokyo, tells Eurosport GB's dominance in the pool is testament to the work British Swimming have put in since London 2012. You want it? We have it. Stream every Olympic event live on discovery+.
‘You can literally achieve anything!’ – Peaty on the hard work behind GB medal rush
Adam Peaty says Team GB swimming are "a force to be reckoned with" after winning gold in the first ever 4x100m mixed medley relay at Tokyo 2020.
Peaty, Kathleen Dawson, James Guy and Anna Hopkin produced a remarkable world record in the final to deliver a fourth gold in swimming for Team GB.
The magnificent achievement means the current Team GB swimming squad is the most successful of all time.
Peaty, who picked up his career third gold medal, says swimming in Great Britain has come a long way since London 2012.
Speaking to Eurosport's Greg Rutherford, the 26-year-old said: "Five, six years ago we were looking for people to come through and looking back now every single year we had a new person in the team, look at us now.
We're a force to be reckoned with.
"No one could have thought this in 2012 and 2016 we do what we do. The thing we started with is belief. There are hundreds of people who work tirelessly for us to get results and find an extra 0.1 per cent.
"Yes we deliver the product but this is years of work as a whole team. It's just incredible. There's no feeling like it. I remember the London 2012 ceremony and how inspiring that was and I still take it in.
"I watch your [Rutherford's] performances and people don't realise how powerful that is. Hopefully people are watching this around the world and can believe they can achieve anything."
James Guy was arguably the star of the show, lifting GB from fourth into first on the third leg. He says pulling out of the 100m butterfly in order to compete in the relay has paid off.
"It was a hard decision to make after the 4x200m winning gold it was a dream come true," he said.
"Having a chat with my coach saying 'you might have to pull out of the fly' because you might do something special in the relays.
"After all that work, doing the back-end pace over and over again. It was quite emotional but what is meant to be will be and what's meant for you will not pass you by."
Kathleen Dawson was up first for Great Britain and she was a fair way back after the first 100m as other nations elected to start with their male swimmers for the first leg. She thanked her teammates for their contributions.
"It's so surreal," she said. "I can't quite believe it yet. It's really not sunk in but I'm so grateful to be in a team with these guys because they really pulled it out the bag for me.
"It wasn't quite the swim that I'd have wanted in the relay, but we won."
Anna Hopkin sealed the gold medal for Britain on the final leg and says sacrificing racing in individual races, like Guy did, was worth it.
She added: "Being part of this team is so special and it's just an amazing feeling to be up there with these guys."
Reacting to the incredible swim by Team GB, Rutherford said: "Another fantastic performance in the pool by Team GB. The British team are now the world record holders, now the Olympic champions. It is mindblowing to watch this live.
"The performances they put in, the splits they swam is some of the fastest swimming they've ever done in their lives. They are the world record holders and they are the Olympic champions.
This swimming pool has been an absolute bastion of medals for Team GB and I feel utterly privileged and honoured to be here.
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