It almost never came about though. Dean had to be persuaded by his older sister Connie to continue as he considered quitting in his mid-teens.<\/p>\n

$\"Jul$

Photo Courtesy: Rob Schumacher\/USA Today Sports<\/p><\/div>\n

She was herself a national-level swimmer who went on to take up a scholarship at Duke in the United States, excelling in and out of the pool and now about to start a medical degree at Oxford.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s taken the academic route and is smashing it out of the park and putting me to shame in that department slightly,\u201d said Dean, himself a mechanical engineering student who has put his studies on hold.<\/p>\n

Dean is one of five children and the second oldest ahead of Nancy, Alfie and Will, the youngest at 16 who is himself showing great promise in the water as a sprinter.<\/p>\n

Dean the elder told Swimming World:<\/p>\n

\u201cIf he keeps it going, you never know, he might be at the (Bath) national centre with me and Paris 2024 might be calling.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s grown about a foot since I last saw him and he is loving the sport.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s coached by Paul so he\u2019s in very safe hands.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
The Paul in question is coach Paul Lloyd<\/strong> who has guided the Deans at the Maidenhead Marlins<\/strong>.<\/p>\n
The pool was just two minutes from the family home and Tom started when he was eight on a learn-to-swim programme.<\/p>\n
Maidenhead was a small venture and \u201cthe big club\u201d Wycombe District<\/strong> \u2013 alma mater of two-time Commonwealth champion Simon Burnett<\/strong> \u2013 nearby drew in all the youngsters looking to make their way in competitive swimming.<\/p>\n
That changed though when Dean was 12 and Lloyd joined the club which began a six-year coach-athlete relationship with older sister Connie his training partner.<\/p>\n
It was just the two of them making regionals and nationals, going through the process of age-group swimming with all the accompanying ups and downs.<\/p>\n
By 16\/17 – and following his sister\u2019s intervention when quitting seemed an option \u2013 Dean was cutting a swathe in international junior waters as well as domestically.<\/p>\n
The IM was his specialist event at that time and he won consecutive golds in the 200 at the 2017 and 2018 European Junior Championships as well as silver and bronze respectively in the long medley.<\/p>\n
In 2018 there was also a bronze with the GB men\u2019s 4×200 free squad \u2013 with a split of 1:48.49 \u2013 and a month later in August of that year, the 18-year-old won gold with the men\u2019s senior squad at the European Championships in Glasgow, alongside Calum Jarvis<\/strong>, Scott and Guy.<\/p>\n
Dean said:<\/p>\n
\u201cTo be able to bring home international junior golds for Maidenhead was a real honour and I\u2019m still very close with Paul and the whole coaching staff there and my little brother trains there.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve got a lot of close ties with them and that small club community is still very close to my heart.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
After six years with Lloyd and following his A-Levels, Dean moved on to the Bath National Centre to be coached by Dave McNulty,<\/strong> who has guided Siobhan O\u2019Connor, Jazz Carlin, Michael Jamieson<\/strong> and Jo Jackson<\/strong> \u2013 among others \u2013 to the Olympic podium.<\/p>\n
It was a culture shock for Dean who said:<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s worlds apart. I didn\u2019t have a gym programme in Maidenhead, we didn\u2019t have any of the facilities we have in Bath.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was very much just a pool and my coach Paul and me and big sets and getting the metres under our belts.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo to go to Bath and all of a sudden you\u2019ve got a tailored strength and conditioning programme, physio, nutrition and psychology on hand and one of the greatest coaches in the country, if not in the world.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re surrounded by Olympians. I\u2019ve gone from being surrounded my mates who are doing it for fitness and a bit of fun and having a laugh to people who have got Olympic medals under their belts in the space of a few weeks.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo it was a real shock to the system but then I got there and you get in the pool and training is no different.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re still doing hard sets, we\u2019re still grinding, we\u2019re still pushing ourselves to be better.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo the actual core of it hasn\u2019t changed it all; it\u2019s just all the extra stuff that gets you the 1% that kind of came in handy and was a big change. And a real shift.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
He competed at the 2019 World Championships<\/strong> in Gwangju, swimming the third leg as Britain finished fifth in the 4×200, 0.06 off the podium.<\/p>\n
Guy switched coaches from Jol Finck<\/strong> to McNulty following worlds and the two became training partners.<\/p>\n
The Mental Impact Of Having Covid – Twice<\/h3>\n
Come 2020 and the pandemic, ongoing and still wreaking havoc across the world, caused all sorts of disruptions, Dean experiencing the virus directly in September which meant a few weeks out of the pool and a delay to the ISL in Budapest.<\/p>\n
$\"Tom$
Photo Courtesy: MIKE LEWIS \/ ISL<\/p><\/div>\n
Having experienced it once, Dean was then dealt another blow just after New Year when he got sick and again tested positive.<\/p>\n
He ended up having a severe case of Covid and was bed-ridden for 10 days with \u201cthe full works\u201d – coughing, wheezing and the loss of taste and smell.<\/p>\n
There were three weeks out of the water and then once he could return, he had to do a three-week build-in so January was a really tough month.<\/p>\n
And not only was it the physical effects of Covid but also the mental impact as he described:<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not going to lie and say it was easy. There were times when it was really tough and I was almost saying to Dave why is this happening? This is so unfair; I had my time in isolation in September, I got it once, I got it out of the way early on in the season, why is it happening again?<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is 2021, three months before I was meant to be stepping on the blocks for Olympic trials and not only was I severely ill, I couldn\u2019t set foot out of my flat for two weeks and it\u2019s like a triple whammy.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot being able to train, being really ill and being stuck inside – just real proper cabin fever feelings.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was really, really tough.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo try and put things in perspective; you go back to training, you\u2019re unfit, it\u2019s like having to build after a whole summer break all over again. It was really tough and Dave was having to keep me grounded, keep me centred, not let my mind run away.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
He trained through the two meets in Manchester in March before tapering for the Olympic trials at the London Aquatics Centre<\/strong> in April.<\/p>\n
There he got PBs in the 100 and 400 but had yet to book his spot on the team for Tokyo when the 200 came around on the final evening with Britain\u2019s depth over four lengths of the pool meaning Max Litchfield<\/strong>\u2019s 1:47.93 was the cut-off.<\/p>\n
Come the evening and Scott lowered his British record to 1:44.47 and Dean \u2013 whose best going in was 1:46 \u2013 bypassed 1:45 altogether in 1:44.58 to touch second and claim a berth for Tokyo with the pair occupying the top-two slots in the rankings.<\/p>\n
Despite the race being all or nothing for Dean\u2019s Olympic ambitions, he had drawn confidence from setting PBs in the 100 and 400 free, saying:<\/p>\n
\u201cI knew something special would come on the 2. For me the 400 is slightly too long and the 100 is slightly too short; it\u2019s really that sweet spot I find where my stroke kind of comes into its own on that 200.<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t really have any nerves going into it; I\u2019m quite fortunate in I can control my emotions, my nerves and stuff.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was just really getting excited for it because this is what I\u2019d been building to. I get to race rested, that\u2019s what the sport is all about, that\u2019s what all the training is for.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo it was more exciting than nerves to be honest with you.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Scott and Dean were elevated to ninth and 10^{th<\/sup> respectively in the all-time rankings, the latter saying:<\/p>\n}
\u201cIt was one of those races where it almost didn\u2019t hurt, you feel like you are floating and it was just amazing.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo see the rankings and be in the top-10 all-time with some phenomenal names in the sport of swimming, some real legends, it\u2019s an honour and it\u2019s exciting and hopefully more to come.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Dean is a student of the sport and specifically of his events.<\/p>\n
\u201cAbsolutely. I can talk about freestyle swimming until the cows come home.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy friends and I like talking about it and watch those races like the Biedermanns, the Phelps, the Athens swims, the 09 swims \u2013 they are just amazing to watch.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think when you start training for an event \u2013 specifically like I\u2019ve done for the 200 free \u2013 you gain an appreciation for it, for the racing and for the times these guys are doing \u2013 they are really incredible.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo I absolutely love it, I am a really big fan.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Training To Deliver In Tokyo<\/h3>\n
Dean was 16 at the time of the Rio Olympics and the timing of the evening finals in Brazil meant it was very early morning in Britain.<\/p>\n
$\"tom$
Photo Courtesy: Robert Hanashiro\/USA Today Sports<\/p><\/div>\n
He set his alarm to watch Michael Phelps<\/strong> in the 200IM though, something he described as \u201cabsolutely iconic,\u201d the American someone of whom Dean was in awe.<\/p>\n
Dean travelled to Tokyo on the back of six medals at the European Championships in Budapest in May, including three relay golds and a bronze in the 200 behind Martin Malyutin<\/strong> of Russia and Scott, describing sharing a podium with his teammate as an honour.<\/p>\n
He added:<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t just train to qualify, we train to go and deliver in the summer. The job\u2019s not done yet and we\u2019ve still got work to do.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Come the Games and historic work was indeed done by Dean and Scott, the former coming from third at 150 for victory.<\/p>\n
Up in the stands, Guy was overcome by what his training partner had just done, Dean having earlier paid tribute to the 2015 world champion, saying:<\/p>\n
\u201cJimmy has been the anchor for the 4×2 as long as it\u2019s been successful in Great Britain.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe has done some unreal relay swims, he\u2019s done a 1:43 relay split which is just one of the greatest swims of all time.<\/p>\n
\u201cWorld champion in his own right on the 200. He really moved the event on in the UK, Duncan then followed him, first man in the country under 1:45, so he is doing great things.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut Jimmy has been the 200 freestyler for so long now.<\/p>\n
\u201cSince he moved to Dave\u2019s squad 18 months ago to be my training partner, we\u2019re the only two boys and we just absolutely bounce off each other every session.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe race each other, we\u2019re pushing each other to go further and further, we\u2019re both doing similar events, we\u2019re both on the same mission.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo be able to have his expertise (from having been) on the world stage for so long \u2013 whereas I am relatively new to it \u2013 it\u2019s just such a great partnership.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd with Dave our coach, it\u2019s almost like the best match we could have asked for and it\u2019s going to keep going that way and it\u2019s exciting to think what else we can do.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
The pair were then on the 4×200 free squad – along with Guy and Matt Richards<\/strong> with Jarvis swimming the heats –\u00a0 that won gold: two events, two golds for Dean.<\/p>\n
Yannick Agnel Admiration For ‘Smart’ Dean<\/h3>\n
Looking on was 2012 champion Agnel whose time of 1:43.14 for victory in London is the fastest in textile and he remains the third-swiftest man in history.<\/p>\n
$\"\"$
Yannick Agnel – London Gold – Photo Courtesy: Joao Marc Bosch<\/p><\/div>\n
Dean\u2019s victory was welcomed by the Frenchman, who told Swimming World:<\/p>\n
\u201cFirst because he deserves it so much.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are two guys actually: Duncan as well. They have been incredibly fast for a long time and being able to sustain this level of performance until the Olympics, it\u2019s a really great thing on its own.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is very impressive but in the end in an Olympic final, the time doesn\u2019t really count – what counts is how smart you play it.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd he was the smartest guy in the room.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
He added:<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve heard Ian Thorpe talk about how you should swim a 200 freestyle and I absolutely agree with him.<\/p>\n
“These past years we\u2019ve seen people going all out, not really thinking about the second half of the race and how to finish it properly and it\u2019s not how you should swim a 200 freestyle.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd I think Tom understood it and he seized his chance at the right moment and for that very reason that makes him a smart swimmer and a great champion.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Dean\u2019s performance in the Japanese capital called to mind his words after the trials of not being affected by nerves but having faith in what has brought him here.<\/p>\n
Agnel concurred, saying:<\/p>\n
\u201cThat means you have to master yourself because when you see the others go all out you have to stay calm and do your own thing because you should swim against yourself and not against the others, right? And that is what he did.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Agnel was 20 when he left London with gold in the 200 free and with the French men\u2019s 4×100 free relay squad plus silver in the 4×200.<\/p>\n
His advice to Dean is informed by his own experience post-London.<\/p>\n
\u201cEnjoy his medal, enjoy with his family and loved ones \u2013 that is the most important thing.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd then he has to put things on the table and see what his next achievement will be, his next target.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat takes time and my advice would be \u2013 take your time.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is what I didn\u2019t do after London and it cost me the end of my career.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo take your time: if it\u2019s six months, it\u2019s six months without swimming but you have to cool down and check really what you want to do in the future.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf he is 100% into it he is going to go as fast as he was here. I\u2019m not worried about that.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Scott left Tokyo as the first Briton to win four medals in a single Olympics but with his desire for individual gold undimmed.<\/p>\n
Agnel was fourth in the 100 free in London, 0.04 off the third step of the podium occupied by Canada\u2019s Brent Hayden<\/strong>.<\/p>\n
With knowledge of such fine margins, he has some empathy with Scott for whom he predicts gold will come.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re not old \u2013 they have years in front of them and I think we are going to see them in every single final in the future if they do things right and they already do.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have seen Duncan on the relay as well go blazingly fast: I\u2019m not worried about him.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know his time will come as well: maybe that was the race he needed (in order) to hang his silver medal at the head of his bed and look at it every single day until Paris 2024.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe knows the lengths you have to accomplish and the steps that you have to climb to get the gold in the end.<\/p>\n
\u201cOn French TV I call them the galactics of the 200 \u2013 the whole team and I\u2019m including James Guy as well.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe is a friend and I am really, really happy for him and he deserves it as well.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe is finally in the club: I am happy to count them all in the club, it is such a pleasure because they are really great people.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy only advice would be to enjoy and then just take your time to think about what you want to do in the future.<\/p>\n
\u201cTake this time because after that when you\u2019re back in the pool again it is non-stop until Paris 2024.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
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