James Guy: History In Paris, Leading By Example & Words Of Wisdom
James Guy made history at last week’s European Championships when he became the oldest swimmer to break the 1:45 barrier in the 200 free.
The Briton posted 1:44.87 en-route to bronze behind David Popovici and Tamas Navikonis at the age of 30 years and nine months.
James Guy: Photo Courtesy: Deepbluemedia.
Lithuanian Danas Rapsys had been the oldest man to go 1:44 with 1:44.96 at the 2024 worlds aged 28 with the then 27-year-old Duncan Scott posting 1:44.87 at the Paris Olympics, the same age as Sun Yang at the 2019 worlds.
Guy is the first 30-something in history to have gone 1:44 with Ryan Lochte the next swiftest in 1:45.36 as a 31-year-old at the 2015 worlds in Kazan.
His previous best stood at 1:45.04 on the 4×200 free leadoff in prelims at the Paris Olympics, which cut 0.10secs from the 1:45.14 that secured him the world title in Kazan, Russia, in 2015.
“I think it’s only going to go up from here,” he said. “And it’s a great sign because I know what we’ve done in the training pool, I know what we can do to get faster. And the thing is, you don’t want to be going too quick too early.
“At the end of the day, it’s the Olympic year that matters. That’s when you want to be firing on all cylinders. There’s no point going crazy fast times now and then not doing it when it matters the most. But yeah, that’s the plan, it’s always to build into the cycle.
“So, it’s a really exciting time. I’m just swimming free. I know I’m in good shape.”
GB Head Coach Hails Guy
Guy also split 1:44.07 on the 4×2 relay which proved pivotal as the GB quartet added the European title to their Olympic and world crowns.
It followed hot on the heels of the Commonwealth Games where Guy shared 200 free silver with Matt Richards – representing England and Wales respectively – with the pair posting 1:45.72, something that stung each of them as Australian Kai Taylor won from lane one.
James Guy: Photo Courtesy: Deepbluemedia
He also won two relay silvers and came fourth in the 400 free behind an Australian clean sweep of the podium
GB head coach Steve Tigg singled Guy out as a role model in the GB squad with the LA Olympics just two years away.
“You’ve got an example of someone like James Guy, who’s almost 31, going 1:44.0,” he said. “There’s strength in that, and the message to the others is really, really powerful over the next two years.
“And he’s 1:44.7 in the individual, which I think I read somewhere it was as close as possible to solving world peace, 1:44.7 and getting on the podium. And he was somebody who was 1:45.7 in Glasgow, and it’s about 0.5% quicker here.”
Guy is coached by Ryan Livingstone at Aquatics GB Manchester Performance Centre having followed him to the north-west from Millfield after the Paris Olympics as he returned to the area where he grew up.
As Guy told Swimming World last year, “clearly something’s working in the pool, (I’m) doing the right work for me” adding: “I’ve really learned to be much happier outside the pool, I don’t take life too seriously and (I want to) enjoy the last couple of years of my career.”
Leading By Example
Guy made his debut on the British team at Barcelona 2013 where he finished fifth in the 400 free.
Since then, he’s amassed a glittering medal haul that includes three Olympic titles, six world golds, eight European and two Commonwealth crowns.
Thirteen years after his Barcelona debut, Guy is a man who leads by example, passing on the knowledge gleaned from his vast experience to those around him with the GB team in Paris ranging in age from 16-year-old Amalie Smith to Adam Ramsay-Peaty, 31.
James Guy: Photo Courtesy: R-Sport / MIA Rossiya Segodnya
“I remember sharing with Adam (Ramsay-Peaty), I’m sharing with Duncan (Scott) here, and we’re men now,” he said.
“The way I look at the sport is you don’t have to be 100% serious all the time. You can joke around the room, you don’t have to be locked in 24/7. It’s just when you need to be firing, you need to be on the ball. That comes with experience and age.”
Among the lessons is an acceptance that you can’t always produce your best.
“It’s not going to be the end of the world, all you have to do is just try again,” said Guy. “And when you look at it that way, and that’s what I’ve learned over the years, it makes the sport a lot more enjoyable rather than I need to go PB. People said to me all this week, are you going to go 1:44? Are you going to go 1:44? And I’m like, shut up. Let me just go and do what I need to do. Like, leave me alone.”
He’s also imparted to younger swimmers how to handle race pressure in the lead-up to a major final, such as the 4×200 in which the GB quartet had to fend off an onslaught in Paris.
“Can you do it? And can you do it at the best time?” he added. “Not folding with Popovici beside you or Leon Marchand beside you. Can you hold your own?
“And if you can do that at that age now, it’s a good sign going forward. So, it’s just trying to teach them experience, especially I think myself, Tom Dean, Duncan, Adam. It’s just passing on knowledge to the young ones coming through.”
Words Of Wisdom For Ramsay-Peaty
Guy and Ramsay-Peaty have been friends for many years since the Band of Brothers came of age at Kazan 2015 with global titles and world records.
Ramsay-Peaty has endured a turbulent few weeks. Double bronze in the 50 and 100 breaststroke in Glasgow was followed by fifth in the 100m breaststroke plus two relay fourth-placed finishes in Paris. The four-time European champion finished 20th in the 50 breast prelims with Ramsay-Peaty saying “it’s so bad, I’m confused.”
Guy offered him some words of wisdom, pointing to the fact he’s started a new training programme with coach Lisa Bates.
“I said, your body’s different now, you’re doing a different training model,” said Guy. “You’ve been doing it for 10 weeks, you’re not in bad shape. I said to him, just because you’re doing a different one doesn’t mean it’s not working. Give it time.
“And the way he trained with Mel (former coach Mel Marshall) was a lot different than what we’re doing now. We’ll all try and peak into in two years’ time properly, and it’s making sure you do the right work for you.”
