Bath Swimmers Tom Dean and Kieran Bird Lead Team GB to Freestyle Relay Victory

Tom Dean secured the third Olympic gold of his career, while Kieran Bird claimed his first. The University of Bath-based swimmers played a pivotal role in helping Team GB defend their men’s 4x200m freestyle relay title at Paris 2024.

Dean once again joined forces with Duncan Scott, along with former Bath Performance Centre training partners James Guy and Matt Richards, to win Britain’s first swimming gold of the Games at the Paris La Defense Arena.

The four athletes have been unbeatable in recent years, having won gold in the same event at both the rescheduled Tokyo Olympics in 2021 and the 2023 World Championships in Japan.

Bird, has trained at the Team Bath Sports Training Village since 2018, the same as Dean, also earned a gold medal. He teamed up with Guy and Dean, alongside Jack McMillan, to deliver strong performances in the earlier heats.

With tonight’s victory, Dean and Bird, coached by David McNulty and Jamie Main respectively, have added to the impressive tally of 15 medals won by Bath Performance Centre swimmers across the last four Olympic Games.

Bird becomes the 12th athlete to be crowned Olympic Champion while training at the University of Bath, a UK Sport-accredited Elite Training Centre.

Dean is set to compete again this Thursday at 11 pm in the 200m individual medley heats, with the final scheduled for 7:43 pm on Friday 2nd August.

Photo credit: Team Bath