Tokyo 2020: Team GB win men’s 4×200 metres freestyle relay final

Guy thrilled as Team GB prevail in freestyle relay

An emotional James Guy reflected on a “dream come true” as he finally got his hands on an Olympic gold medal after helping Great Britain to victory in the men’s 4×200 metres freestyle relay final.

Following his triumph in the individual event the previous day, Tom Dean became the first British male swimmer to win more than one gold medal at a single Games since 1908, but this was a team effort at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre.

Dean started solidly if unspectacularly, perhaps feeling the exertions of his recent endeavours, and it was Guy who got Team GB into the lead at halfway before Matthew Richards and Duncan Scott closed the show in style.

The time of six minutes and 58.58 seconds set a new European benchmark and was just three hundredths of a second behind the world record still held by a Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte inspired United States 12 years ago.

It was a special moment for Guy, who won two relay silvers at Rio 2016 and finished fourth in the individual 200m freestyle event there. Having finally scaled the mountain, he was in tears by the time Scott touched the wall here.

“It’s a dream come true,” said Guy, who was crying in the stands the day before after watching training partner Dean become Britain’s first Olympic male champion in an individual freestyle event in more than a century.

“Being a young lad I was dreaming of Olympic gold, that’s all I’ve ever wanted in my life is to get that and now I’ve done it. It just shows if you’ve got a plan, you work hard, when you believe in yourself it can happen.

“All the early mornings, all the years of getting up at 10 past four, we’re here and it’s finally nice to do it."

Dean’s time turned out to be the slowest of the quartet but Britain still sat third and after Guy and then 18-year-old Richards helped Britain into a one-second lead, Scott put in a sensational split of 1min 43.45secs.

Scott was runner-up to Dean the day before in a historic one-two finish but the Glaswegian’s effort on Wednesday made sure Britain scooped their third swimming gold at an Olympics for the first time in 113 years.

Dean, who revealed he has had coronavirus twice inside the past year, said: “It feels pretty special. Double Olympic champion sounds pretty good. The last 24 hours have been unreal, a complete whirlwind.

“This was our best, best, best case scenario. The way Jimmy and I have been training in Bath and the times he’s been dropping, I’ve never had a shadow of doubt in my mind and it came together like we knew it would.”

Dujardin makes history with bronze

Charlotte Dujardin set a new record of six Olympic medals for a British woman after taking bronze in the individual dressage final at Tokyo Equestrian Park.

While her nine-year reign as Olympic individual dressage champion ended on another night of German domination, a podium finish saw her break the record of five Olympic medals she jointly held with rower Dame Katherine Grainger and tennis player Kitty Godfree.

It was a remarkable performance by 36-year-old Dujardin, given her horse Gio was contesting its first major championship.

She won double gold at London 2012, then individual gold and team silver in Rio, before collecting two bronze medals in Tokyo.

The gold medal went to Germany’s Jessica Von Bredow-Werndl with TSF Dalera on 91.732 per cent, ahead of fellow German and silver medallist Isabell Werth, riding Bella Rose 2, on 89.657 per cent.

Dujardin posted 88.543 per cent after a display that almost defied logic, given how little Gio had done in terms of his career at the sport’s elite level.

Dujardin also won Tokyo team bronze with Carl Hester and Charlotte Fry, with Hester and En Vogue finishing eighth individually, and Fry on Everdale in 13th.

It’s just so surreal,” she said afterwards. “People say it, and I can’t quite believe it.

“Being level with Katherine Grainger was good enough, and now I have beaten her, it’s incredible. I can honestly say I am proud of myself.

“I am incredibly proud and a bit speechless. I just don’t know what to feel.”

Disappointment for Andy Murray in men's doubles

Andy Murray’s bid for a fourth Olympic medal ended with a painful defeat in the men’s doubles alongside Joe Salisbury in the quarter-finals in Tokyo.

The pair had raised expectations with two fine performances to make the last eight and led Croatian duo Marin Cilic and Ivan Dodig by a set and a break.

They had a point to make it 5-2 but Cilic and Dodig stepped up their level, broke the Murray serve and prevailed in a deciding tie-break to win 4-6 7-6 (2) 10-7.

It is they who are now guaranteed to play for a medal, and the disappointment for Murray and Salisbury was obvious.

“It’s always tough when you lose matches but especially here, a chance of getting to the semi-finals and a chance of winning a medal,” said Salisbury. “And the situation we were in, we were a set and a break up and we were playing well, so it’s very tough.”

GB's golden run comes to an end

Great Britain’s proud golden run in the Olympic men’s four came to a disappointing end but a surprise silver in the men’s quadruple sculls lifted the gloom for British Rowing.

Britain had won gold in the four at the last five Olympics – a run started by Steve Redgrave, Matthew Pinsent, Tim Foster and James Cracknell in Sydney in 2000 – but the quartet of Oliver Cook, Matthew Rossiter, Rory Gibbs and Sholto Carnegie could only finish fourth.

They had looked set for silver behind Australia but the effort of chasing for gold cost them and they crashed into the Italian boat in a shambolic finish.

The disappointment followed fourth places in the men’s double sculls and the women’s four, but there was a significant silver lining in the very next race as Harry Leask, Angus Groom, Tom Barras and Jack Beaumont finished second in the quad.

Meanwhile in the women's hockey, Hannah Martin’s brace helped Great Britain’s women cruise past India 4-1 as the defending champions continued their Olympic recovery.

Lily Owsley’s strike and Grace Balsdon’s penalty added to Martin’s double to earn a comfortable win at the Oi Hockey Stadium in Tokyo.

Simone Biles withdraws

Simone Biles has decided to withdraw from Thursday’s women’s all-around final, USA Gymnastics has confirmed.

The 24-year-old pulled out after one rotation of the women’s team final on Tuesday in Tokyo, citing mental health concerns.

USA Gymnastics said Biles is yet to decide whether to withdraw from her four individual finals, which are scheduled to take place next week.

In a statement, USA Gymnastics said: “After further medical evaluation, Simone Biles has withdrawn from the final individual all-around competition.

“We wholeheartedly support Simone’s decision and applaud her bravery in prioritising her well-being. Her courage shows, yet again, why she is a role model for so many.”