{"id":67527,"date":"2026-08-20T10:04:10","date_gmt":"2026-08-20T10:04:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/france\/67527\/"},"modified":"2026-08-20T10:04:10","modified_gmt":"2026-08-20T10:04:10","slug":"james-guy-history-in-paris-leading-by-example","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/france\/67527\/","title":{"rendered":"James Guy: History In Paris & Leading By Example"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\tJames Guy: History In Paris, Leading By Example & Words Of Wisdom<\/p>\n

James Guy made history at last week\u2019s European Championships when he became the oldest swimmer to break the 1:45 barrier in the 200 free.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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James Guy: Photo Courtesy: Deepbluemedia.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

His previous best stood at 1:45.04 on the 4\u00d7200 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.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s only going to go up from here,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd it\u2019s a great sign because I know what we\u2019ve done in the training pool, I know what we can do to get faster. And the thing is, you don\u2019t want to be going too quick too early.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt the end of the day, it\u2019s the Olympic year that matters. That\u2019s when you want to be firing on all cylinders. There\u2019s no point going crazy fast times now and then not doing it when it matters the most. But yeah, that\u2019s the plan, it\u2019s always to build into the cycle.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, it\u2019s a really exciting time. I\u2019m just swimming free. I know I\u2019m in good shape.\u201d<\/p>\n

GB Head Coach Hails Guy<\/p>\n

Guy also split 1:44.07 on the 4\u00d72 relay which proved pivotal as the GB quartet added the European title to their Olympic and world crowns.<\/p>\n

It followed hot on the heels of the Commonwealth Games where Guy shared 200 free silver with Matt Richards \u2013 representing England and Wales respectively \u2013 with the pair posting 1:45.72, something that stung each of them as Australian Kai Taylor won from lane one.<\/p>\n

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James Guy: Photo Courtesy: Deepbluemedia<\/p>\n

He also won two relay silvers and came fourth in the 400 free behind an Australian clean sweep of the podium<\/p>\n

GB head coach Steve Tigg singled Guy out as a role model in the GB squad with the LA Olympics just two years away.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ve got an example of someone like James Guy, who\u2019s almost 31, going 1:44.0,\u201d he said. \u201cThere\u2019s strength in that, and the message to the others is really, really powerful over the next two years.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd he\u2019s 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\u2019s about 0.5% quicker here.\u201d<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

As Guy told Swimming World last year, \u201cclearly something\u2019s working in the pool, (I\u2019m) doing the right work for me\u201d adding:\u00a0\u201cI\u2019ve really learned to be much happier outside the pool, I don\u2019t take life too seriously and (I want to) enjoy the last couple of years of my career.\u201d<\/p>\n

Leading By Example<\/p>\n

Guy made his debut on the British team at Barcelona 2013 where he finished fifth in the 400 free.<\/p>\n

Since then, he\u2019s amassed a glittering medal haul that includes three Olympic titles, six world golds, eight European and two Commonwealth crowns.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\"james-guy-fina-world-championships\"<\/p>\n

James Guy: Photo Courtesy: R-Sport \/ MIA Rossiya Segodnya<\/p>\n

\u201cI remember sharing with Adam (Ramsay-Peaty), I\u2019m sharing with Duncan (Scott) here, and we\u2019re men now,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe way I look at the sport is you don\u2019t have to be 100% serious all the time. You can joke around the room, you don\u2019t have to be locked in 24\/7. It\u2019s just when you need to be firing, you need to be on the ball. That comes with experience and age.\u201d<\/p>\n

Among the lessons is an acceptance that you can\u2019t always produce your best.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not going to be the end of the world, all you have to do is just try again,\u201d said Guy.\u00a0\u201cAnd when you look at it that way, and that\u2019s what I\u2019ve 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\u2019m like, shut up. Let me just go and do what I need to do. Like, leave me alone.\u201d<\/p>\n

He\u2019s also imparted to younger swimmers how to handle race pressure in the lead-up to a major final, such as the 4\u00d7200 in which the GB quartet had to fend off an onslaught in Paris.<\/p>\n

\u201cCan you do it? And can you do it at the best time?\u201d he added. \u201cNot folding with Popovici beside you or Leon Marchand beside you. Can you hold your own?<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd if you can do that at that age now, it\u2019s a good sign going forward. So, it\u2019s just trying to teach them experience, especially I think myself, Tom Dean, Duncan, Adam. It\u2019s just passing on knowledge to the young ones coming through.\u201d<\/p>\n

Words Of Wisdom For Ramsay-Peaty<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\"Jul<\/p>\n

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 \u201cit\u2019s so bad, I\u2019m confused.\u201d<\/p>\n

Guy offered him some words of wisdom, pointing to the fact he\u2019s started a new training programme with coach Lisa Bates.<\/p>\n

\u201cI said, your body\u2019s different now, you\u2019re doing a different training model,\u201d said Guy. \u201cYou\u2019ve been doing it for 10 weeks, you\u2019re not in bad shape. I said to him, just because you\u2019re doing a different one doesn\u2019t mean it\u2019s not working. Give it time.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd the way he trained with Mel (former coach Mel Marshall) was a lot different than what we\u2019re doing now. We\u2019ll all try and peak into in two years\u2019 time properly, and it\u2019s making sure you do the right work for you.\u201d<\/p>\n

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