hi INDiA Copyright 2022-2050
Britain’s Tom Dean came back from two bouts of Covid to claim Olympic gold in the pool on Tuesday, edging out team-mate Duncan Scott to win the 200m freestyle in Tokyo.
Dean said a gold medal seemed “a million miles away” when he was consigned to isolation in January after contracting the virus for the second time in five months.
But the 21-year-old swam the race of his life at the Tokyo Aquatic Centre to lead the first British one-two since 1908, which was also the last time the team won gold in the event.
His family’s celebration back home went viral.
THIS is what the @Olympics means!! Friends & family of @ClubMaidenhead swimmer @tomdean00 cheer the new 200m Freestyle #Olympics CHAMPION home! GOLD!!! GOLD!! GOLD!!! #Tokyo2020 @BBCSport #Swimming @BBCSouthNews pic.twitter.com/wBtpR7Yba1
— Lewis Coombes (@LewisCoombes) July 27, 2021
“It’s amazing, a dream come true having a gold around my neck,” said Dean.
“I contracted Covid twice in the last 12 months. It’s unheard of. When I was sitting in my flat in isolation, an Olympic gold seem a million miles off, but here we are.”
Dean, whose 1min 44.22sec broke a British record, also needed time to recover from the illness before he could resume high-intensity training.
“It was tough having a long time out of the water and it obviously requires a slow…