You are working on Staging1

Watch The Monumental Men’s 200 Free Race From Aquatics GB Olympic Trials

2024 AQUATICS GB SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIPS (OLYMPIC TRIALS)

The final race on the final night of the 2024 Aquatics GB Swimming Championships (Olympic Trials) was an absolute barn burner.

The 4 fastest British men in history were all among the field, as Olympic champion Tom Dean, Olympic silver medalist Duncan Scott, the 2023 world champion Matt Richards and the 2015 world champion James Guy all dove in for battle.

Great Britain’s Top 5 Men’s LCM 200m Freestyler Performers All-Time

  1. Tom Dean – 1:44.22, 2020 Olympic Games
  2. Duncan Scott – 1:44.26, 2020 Olympic Games
  3. Matt Richards – 1:44.30, 2023 World Championships
  4.  James Guy – 1:45.14, 2015 World Championships
  5. Robbie Renwick – 1:45.99, 2009 World Championships

With individual and relay qualification on the line, 28-year-old Guy busted out to the front of the pack with a swift 50.58 opener. He attacked the front half a la Chad Le Clos at the 2016 Olympic Games and tried to hold on as the rest of the field caught up with the Olympic relay champion on the final 50m.

Richards ultimately touched first, ripping a season-best of 1:44.69 to add this event to the 100m free he won earlier in the competition.

Scott was next in 1:44.75 while Dean touched in 1:45.09 and Guy’s gutsiness paid off with a result of 1:45.28 to place 4th and book his ticket to Paris on the relay.

The top 4 finishers each easily cleared the 1:45.96 Aquatics GB-mandated selection standard and collectively clocked 6:59.81 to crush the 4x200m free relay benchmark of 7:07.40.

Additionally, Richards, Scott, Dean and Guy now occupy 4 slots of the top 10 performers in the world this season. Only Korea’s Hwang Sunwoo has been quicker than Richards.

2023-2024 LCM Men 200 Free

DavidROU
POPOVICI
06/21
1:43.13
2Lukas
MÄRTENS
GER1:44.1404/27
3Sunwoo
HWANG
KOR1:44.4009/27
4Matthew
RICHARDS
GBR1:44.6904/07
5Duncan
SCOTT
GBR1:44.7504/07
6 Maximillian
GIULIANI
AUS1:44.7912/12
6Luke
HOBSON
USA1:44.7907/29
8Danas
RAPSYS
LTU1:44.9602/12
9James
GUY
GBR1:45.0407/30
10Thomas
DEAN
GBR1:45.0904/07
View Top 31»

Top 8:

  1. Matt Richards (Millfield) – 1:44.69: 2nd best time of his career
  2. Duncan Scott (Uni of Stirling) – 1:44.75: 4th best time of his career
  3. Tom Dean (Bath PC) – 1:45.09: 6th-best time of his career
  4. James Guy (Millfield) – 1:45.28: best time since 2017
  5. Jack McMillan (Uni of Stirling) – 1:46.19: PB by over half a second
  6. Kieran Bird (Bath PC) – 1:46.99: Had never been under 1:48 before this competition
  7. Luke Turley (Bath PC) – 1:47.75
  8. Joe Litchfield (L’borogh PC) – 1:49.73

In This Story

19
Leave a Reply

Subscribe
Notify of

19 Comments
newest
oldest most voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Swimm
7 months ago

Kudos to McMillan, his switch looks to have paid off!

Geo
7 months ago

They all have the same technique!

Last edited 7 months ago by Geo
Games Juy
Reply to  Geo
7 months ago

Not true at all, Scott is very hip driven compared to Dean

Alison England
Reply to  Geo
7 months ago

As in ‘they all move their arms and legs’?

Stewart Fenwick
7 months ago

GBR m4x200 will be hard to beat in Fukuoka.

It will require WR to beat them

Swimmingrules
7 months ago

Imagine being 4th in your nation and top 10 in the world. It’s like the US in women’s backstroke.

Stewart Fenwick
Reply to  Swimmingrules
7 months ago

It’s like Australia in women’s 100 free.

Just Keep Swimming
Reply to  Stewart Fenwick
7 months ago

That’s more like “imagine being 5th best in your nation and top 10 in the history of the world”

Jason
7 months ago

that’s a pretty strong relay, will be hard to beat with those top 4

Boxall's Railing
Reply to  Jason
7 months ago

On paper at this point in time, sure. But this assumption that those four are going to be at their best and that no other country will outperform previous bests should cease.

Alison England
Reply to  Jason
7 months ago

‘Pretty strong’?

Scuncan Dott V2
7 months ago

Richards 21.8 50 Free and 1:44.6 200 Free at these champs, there was definitely more than a 47.8 in him in that 100.

MTK
Reply to  Scuncan Dott V2
7 months ago

I dunno, 47.8 seems about on par with those times. Maybe 47.5-47.6 but that’s kinda splitting hairs.

The unoriginal Tim
Reply to  MTK
7 months ago

47.8 is better tham 21.8 but worse than 1.44. Thanks for listening to my TED talk.

rob
Reply to  Scuncan Dott V2
7 months ago

I think he is the first (or one of a few) to achieve sub 22, sub 48 and sub 1:45. But has he or anyone else done it in the same competition?

Rafael
Reply to  rob
7 months ago

Pan was the first to reach it, but Richards is the first to do in same competition

NMJ
Reply to  Rafael
7 months ago

Pretty sure Richards was first to do it at last years trials. Wasn’t there an article about it?

Mmk
Reply to  Rafael
7 months ago

For Pan it’s sub 22 sub 47 sub145

About Braden Keith

Braden Keith

Braden Keith is the Editor-in-Chief and a co-founder/co-owner of SwimSwam.com. He first got his feet wet by building The Swimmers' Circle beginning in January 2010, and now comes to SwimSwam to use that experience and help build a new leader in the sport of swimming. Aside from his life on the InterWet, …

Read More »