James Guy Doing Everything Possible For “The Big Dance” Of Paris 2024
James Guy will “leave no stone unturned” as he seeks to add to his five-strong Olympic medal haul with Paris 2024 just nine months away.
The 27-year-old won gold with the British men’s 4x200m freestyle quartet and the mixed medley relay at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.
Guy also won silver with the men’s medley relay in the Japanese capital, five years after double relay silver at Rio 2016.
The five-time world champion is aiming to compete at his third Olympics and he told Swimming World:
“Olympic year is about dialling in and focusing, it’s always different than any other years.
“The Olympic Games is always the big dance, and one thing that Bath taught me and being with Dave McNulty is, it’s about going on a journey and looking back leaving no stone unturned.”
James Guy; Photo Courtesy: SIPA USA
As part of his quest, Guy announced in September that he’d switched training bases from the British Swimming Performance Centre Bath after seven years working under Jol Finck and Dave McNulty.
As well as those five Olympic honours during his time at Bath, Guy added world, European and Commonwealth titles to a glittering collection which currently stands at 41 medals in the international long-course pool.
On top of Guy, McNulty has guided Siobhan O’Connor, Jazz Carlin, Tom Dean, Chris Walker-Hebborn, Michael Jamieson, Jo Jackson and Freya Anderson to the Olympic podium.
However, a change of stimulus was needed with Paris on the horizon and with tough decisions come long-term benefits.
Guy said:
“It was difficult. I’d been with Bath and Dave for so long, the relationship we had was much more than an athlete/coach relationship. I probably saw him a lot more than I saw my own dad.
“Including Tom Dean, we had amazing banter all the time and he would always pick you up in sessions when you weren’t on it.
“I still speak to Deano and most of the Bath athletes. I just want a change of scenery and stimulus, it’s almost like changing your workplace 9-5, that’s how I’ve looked at it.
“Bath Performance Centre can take you from being good to great. I’ve seen it been done and the new recruits are in great hands.”
Now he has returned to Millfield, 14 years after arriving as a 13-year-old in 2009 and where he’d go on to spend a total of seven years.
“I never thought I would end up back there, it’s almost as if Millfield chose me,” he says.
James Guy: Photo Courtesy: British Swimming
Matt Richards thrived after leaving for Bath to Millfield in 2022 with the Welshman leading Dean home for a British 1-2 in the 200 free at the World Championships in Fukuoka.
Guy, Richards and Dean were then joined by Duncan Scott as the quartet wrested back the 4×200 crown.
Richards’ partner Emily Large – also at Millfield – returned to the British senior squad after five years to place 10th in the 200 fly in Japan.
Guy observed all this and joined the pair to train at the Performance Centre housed at the boarding school in Somerset, south-west England.
They do nine sessions a week from 8-10am and 2-4pm plus gym under the watchful of head coach Ryan Livingstone, to whom Richards paid tribute following his Fukuoka success.
Guy – who will continue to focus on the 100 fly and 200 free as his individual events – also pointed to Livingstone and his meticulous, personalised approach.
He said:
“His detail to each part of why we’re doing it is always 100% because sometimes we forget why we’re doing it and it’s about being best prepared on the day of competition!”
Good.