IT'S gold again – Warrington can celebrate it's own Super Saturday!
Take a bow Team GB swimmers Kathleen Dawson, James Guy, Adam Peaty and Anna Hopkin.
Dawson and Guy did the town proud as they helped the mixed 4x100m medley relay team smash the opposition in the Tokyo Olympics pool this morning.
They joined Peaty and Hopkin in destroying the field in world record time.
All pictures: PA Wire
Former Great Sankey High School student won her first Olympic medal, while ex-Cardinal Newman High School pupil Guy added to the first Olympic gold he won on Wednesday in the men's 200m freestyle relay.
🎙️ 'We're getting fairly used to this by now'
— Eurosport UK (@Eurosport_UK) July 31, 2021
Aren't we just?! 😊
Doing us 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐝, @TeamGB 🙌#Tokyo2020 | #TeamGB pic.twitter.com/RqPx63kLIZ
The scenes of jubilation at the end highlighted what the victory meant to the quartet.
Look at that reaction 😍
— Eurosport UK (@Eurosport_UK) July 31, 2021
That's what happens when you win 🥇 and set a 🆕 world record. #Tokyo2020 | #TeamGB pic.twitter.com/sdK6ns64pb
> READ: What these gold medals mean for Warrington
For Guy, 25, he had to sit out the men's individual 100m butterly in order to help the team win gold this morning, with the times of the events clashing.
“It was a very hard choice, training for so long to do my individual race and to be told the day before you had to pull out, I was really upset, I was crying again obviously," said Guy, who broke down poolside after his first gold medal success.
"But it has paid off. It was worth not doing the butterfly because I don’t think I’d have done that time.”
A 𝐓𝐄𝐀𝐌 effort 👊@Jimbob95goon and @Dawson_Kathleen made sacrifices, but it was well worth it 🥇#Tokyo2020 | #TeamGB pic.twitter.com/Ci9SpU3jSC
— Eurosport UK (@Eurosport_UK) July 31, 2021
Dawson, who was lifted off her feet by Peaty in the celebrations, told Eurosport: "It's so surreal. I really can't quite believe it yet. It's not sunk in.
"I'm so grateful to be on the team with these guys because they really pulled it out of the bag.
"It wasn't quite the swim I wanted to do in the relay but we won."
Great Britain equalled their best swimming medal haul at an Olympics in winning what was an inaugural Olympic event at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre.
The quartet of Dawson, Peaty, Guy and Freya Anderson were more than two seconds clear of the rest of the field in the heats, setting an Olympic record with their time, but Team GB did even better this morning.
> READ: Learn all about Warrington's golden pair Dawson and Guy
Hopkin replaced Anderson for the final freestyle leg and touched out in 3mins 37.58 seconds for Britain’s fourth gold in the pool at Tokyo 2020 and seventh gong overall – matching their tally from London 1908.
The time was 0.83 seconds better than the previous best benchmark of 3mins 38.41ecs – set by China last year – while they finished 1.28secs clear of China, with Australia taking bronze.
This event has been added to the Olympics schedule for the first time – where two males and two females must be selected but the nation can use any combination in the backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly and freestyle splits.
It means the lead can change hands multiple times as men and women can race against each other in the same leg of an event that was first introduced for long course swimming at the 2015 World Championships.
All pictures: PA Wire
Despite a slight slip off the wall at the start, backstroker Dawson produced an impressive opening leg, sitting second of the teams who led off with women.
“I wasn’t going to let them bully me, I was going to swim my own race and it didn’t matter if it was two guys or two girls I was up against,” she said.
Then 100m breaststroke gold medallist Peaty’s astonishing split of 56.78secs helped them up into fourth.
Guy clocked exactly 50secs in the butterfly to take Britain into the lead and Hopkin finished in 52secs flat to spark the exuberant celebrations.
“It’s my fastest split ever by 0.5 seconds," said Guy.
"Gold medal, world record, you can’t beat that, especially when it’s for the team."
That time would have earned him a bronze in the individual men's 100m fly had he not foresaked the event for the relay team's mission.
Love this !!’❤️❤️ https://t.co/Toa2dAUQ1a
— Andy Cyril Guy (@andrewg24190595) July 31, 2021
Hopkin said: “I was trying not to think about how far ahead we were of them because it’s just irrelevant when you’re in the water.
"When I turned I saw I still had a good bit of water and I just went for it. It’s just an amazing feeling. I’m so privileged to be in this team.”
Peaty said: “It’s amazing to be a part of this with these amazing women and Jimmy, and it’s just incredible.”
An inspirational message from @adam_peaty 🙌
— Eurosport UK (@Eurosport_UK) July 31, 2021
Listen up, kids 👂#Tokyo2020 | #TeamGB pic.twitter.com/rcozkf8Cdg
Watch the last 50 metres of the race here:
🆕 world record
— Eurosport UK (@Eurosport_UK) July 31, 2021
𝐀𝐍𝐎𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑 🥇
Kathleen Dawson
Adam Peaty
James Guy
Anna Hopkin
You were incredible 😍#Tokyo2020 | #TeamGB pic.twitter.com/ebfvQgsL5n
> You can watch the full race, scenes of jubilation and interview on the BBC HERE
A NEW WORLD RECORD!
— Team GB (@TeamGB) July 31, 2021
Take a bow @Dawson_Kathleen, @adam_peaty, @Jimbob95goon and @annahopkin 🥇 #TeamGB pic.twitter.com/YfKP0MPkuj
COMMMEEEE OOONNN!!!! 🔥⏱️🥇
— British Swimming (@britishswimming) July 31, 2021
A new 𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗟𝗗 𝗥𝗘𝗖𝗢𝗥𝗗 (3⃣:3⃣7⃣.5⃣8⃣) for @Dawson_Kathleen, @adam_peaty, @Jimbob95goon and @annahopkin to take the Mixed 4x100 Medley Olympic title! 👑
Credit due also to @freyaandersonn for her role in the heats 🙏 #TeamGB pic.twitter.com/p4oDH9sgcn
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