An Appreciation of the Resilience and Longevity of British Stalwart and Relay Stud James Guy
A Timeline and Appreciation of James Guy’s Consistency
James Guy, now 29, has been a player on the international stage for the better part of the last decade. The three-time British Olympian broke out in 2015 with three World Championships medals, including a world title in the 200-meter freestyle. His victory in what would become his signature event was a significant one, as it dethroned Sun Yang, a man who at the time seemed untouchable. Guy’s 1:45.14 winning time would stand as his personal best for nearly a decade, and the Brit would also win silver in the 400 freestyle, before anchoring Great Britain to gold in the 800 freestyle relay. His 1:44.74 split on the relay was the fastest of the field.
2016 Rio Olympics
In Rio, after sneaking into the 200 freestyle final as the eighth seed, Guy finished fourth, just two tenths out of bronze. Combined with a 14th-place finish in the 100 butterfly and sixth-place effort in the 400 free, Guy clearly packaged a strong individual meet. Where the Bath swimmer shined, however, was on relays.
Guy’s 1:44.85 anchor split on the 800 free relay moved Great Britain from third into silver medal position and a new national record. His 51.35 100 butterfly split on the 400 medley relay helped earn Team GB their second relay medal of the meet. This haul represented a massive improvement over the London Olympics, which saw Great Britain fail to medal across all relays.
2017 World Championships
2017 was a year of ups and downs for the reigning 200 freestyle world champion. After entering the Worlds final in Budapest as the second seed, Guy missed out on a medal by just over a tenth. China’s Sun Yang ran away with the win in a 1:44.39, just under a second ahead of the fifth-place Guy.
Photo Courtesy: SIPA USA
Whereas the Brit failed to medal in his signature even, he excelled in the 100 butterfly, tying for third with Singapore’s Joseph Schooling, the 2016 Olympic champion. Great Britain also backed up its Olympic silver in the 800 freestyle relay with a world title. This time, Guy anchored the team with an otherworldly split of 1:43.80, one of the fastest in history.
Once again proving his relay consistency, Guy threw down a 50.80 fly split on the 400 medley relay, an improvement of more than a second from a year prior in Rio.
2018 Commonwealth & European Championships
Guy continued his stellar career in 2018. His relay performances continued to be the highlight of his time on the National Team, as he helped Team GB to three relay golds at European Championships. His efforts also helped bring the team to three silvers at the Commonwealth Games. Nearly anytime Guy was a part of a relay, he could be counted on for a crucial split.
Individually, his versatility continued to be a valuable asset to his medal haul. At Euros, Guy swam to bronze in the 100 butterfly, and finished fourth in the 200 freestyle. The Gold Coast Commonwealth Games saw him claim silver in the 100 butterfly and bronze in the 400 freestyle. His 400 freestyle medal was his first in the event in three years.
2019 World Championships
It became all the more evident in Gwangju that Guy was a stalwart relay performer. Individually, he missed the final of the 200 freestyle and finished seventh in the 100 butterfly. Team GB also finished fifth in its signature 800 freestyle relay, a rare miss.
Guy’s lone gold of the meet came on the final day, in the 400 medley relay, where Guy put up another solid split on the fly leg of 50.81. His teammate Duncan Scott stunned the field with a 46.14 freestyle leg, at the time the second-fastest split in history.
Tokyo Olympics
In a stunning move, Guy withdrew from the 100 butterfly on the fifth night of Olympic competition in Tokyo. Certainly expected to be a factor, Guy focused his attention on his relay responsibilities. Below are Guy’s relay splits from all eight nights of Olympic competition, with finals splits in bold.
- 800 Freestyle Relay (Gold)
- 1:44.66 going second, fastest split of the field
- 1:44.40 going second, second fastest behind only his teammate Duncan Scott
- 400 Mixed Medley Relay (Gold, swimming butterfly)
- 50.58, fastest male split
- 50.00, fastest male split
- 400 Men’s Medley Relay (Silver, swimming butterfly)
- 50.77, fastest split of the field
- 50.27, second fastest behind only Caeleb Dressel
When the dust settled, Guy yielded a shot at an individual medal to bring home three relay medals and two golds for Great Britain. Swimming six times, he never faltered and proved to be the relay hero Great Britain needed.
Add in six medals from the European Championships the same year, and Guy simply enhanced his resume. The shortened three year run to the Paris Olympics saw Guy pick up additional relay medals, including a 2023 World Championships gold with the same Tokyo squad in the 800 freestyle relay.
Paris Olympics
At the 2023 Short Course Euros in Otopeni, Guy won silver in the 200 freestyle. A sign of things to come, this effort represented his first individual 200 freestyle medal in seven years.
Tom Dean, Matthew Richards, James Guy and Duncan Scott of Great Britain celebrate after winning the gold medal in the swimming 4x200m Freestyle Men Final during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at La Defense Arena in Paris (France), July 30, 2024.
In the months leading up to the Paris Olympics, Guy was firing on all cylinders. At the British Olympic Trials, he locked up his spot on a third Olympic team, finishing fourth in the 200 freestyle final. His 1:45.28 confirmed he was experiencing a career resurgence, as it was his fastest swim since 2017.
Individually in Paris, Guy finished 23rd in the 100 butterfly, over a half second out of semifinals. But everything came together in the prelims of the 800 freestyle relay. Guy swam leadoff, and slammed a 1:45.04 marker. For the first time in nine years, he unlocked a new personal best in his signature event. His finals leadoff of 1:45.09, which helped Great Britain to a repeat title, is his second fastest swim ever.
Guy’s performances enhanced a fantastic story for the British men. The four men that swam to gold in Paris were the same four who earned gold three years prior in Tokyo.
Now 29, a decade older than his 2015 world title, Guy is looking forward to the 2028 Olympics, seeking a fourth Olympic Team. In Guy, his teammates and his country have found a leader, and a beacon of consistency.
