HE'S done it again.
James Guy has won a third medal in the pool at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games, sealing silver with the Team England 4x200m freestyle relay team.
The former Cardinal Newman High School student led off the English team at the Sandwell Aquatics Centre, handing over in second place and it was a position they held on to behind Australia amid a strong challenge from bronze medal winners Scotland and fourth-place Wales.
Yes, boys 👊
— Swim England (@Swim_England) August 1, 2022
It’s a fifth @birminghamcg22 medal of the night for @TeamEngland as the Men’s 4x200m Freestyle squad of @Jimbob95goon, @JacobWhittle11, @joelitchfield and @tomdean00 seal a stunning silver 🏴🥈#B2022 | #PartofthePride | #BringItHome | #InspiredToTry pic.twitter.com/vqSxoKjBHP
It was a great show of strength for Team GB with 12 competing for their home nations in the Games final.
“Traditionally, 200m freestyle has been quite a weak event for us. But having 12 lads here who are going to add to competition at trials is great. It’s nice to see the young lads coming through and pushing us,” said Guy.
The one-time Warrington Junior Sports Personality of the Year winner went into the pool around 90 minutes after competing in the 100m fly semi-finals, booking his place in tomorrow night's final as the third fastest qualifier.
He already had two medals in his pocket.
Guy helped the Team England men's 4x100m freestyle relay team win silver in another thrilling final on Saturday night.
He then won bronze in the men's 200m fly final on Sunday night having qualified seventh fastest in that morning's heats.
He finished behind Lewis Clareburt of New Zealand and Chad le Clos of South Africa but could be satisfied with a first ever medal in this event as a senior international.
“This morning and last night I wasn’t feeling that good in the water," said Guy after clinching his individual bronze.
"I knew it was going to be hard racing again after the World Championships a few weeks ago but what I've realised here is that the times aren't that fast, it’s how you race it.
"To get on the podium in the outside lane, it’s always good fun.”
He said the home crowd was a huge boost to him.
“It’s weird actually, you walk out and everyone is cheering for you," he said.
"I remember being at the World Championships in Budapest a few weeks ago and Kristóf Milák, the crowd went mental for him, but that was for us tonight.
"It was an amazing crowd and it definitely spurred me on for the last 25 metres.”
For Guy, it's the seventh, eighth and ninth Commonwealth Games medals of his career and the relay silvers are a repeat of the double success on the Gold Coast of Australia four years ago.
Guy, 26, swam the third leg of the 4x100m freestyle relay for England in what was a tight contest throughout with eventual winners Australia and third place Canada.
England's second-leg man Jacob Whittle handed over to Guy in first place by a whisker and the Team Bath ace held the form in lane five so that Tom Dean, already the 200m freestyle silver medallist this Games, entered the water narrowly in second spot.
Australia's 2016 Olympic champion Kyle Chalmers managed to build a lead that he could hold on to for the gold medal although Dean was hunting him down in the closing exchanges.
It took a Commonwealth Games record time of 3mins 11.12secs to beat England (3:11.73), with Canada (3:13.01) finishing third.
The gold medal has still never been won in this relay event by Team England.
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