‘This sport could save your life’: Team GB Olympic hero Tom Dean encourages individuals to get within the pool as he pays tribute to his first swimming membership for the impression it is had on his profession
- Tom Dean hopes Team GB’s success will inspired funding in swimming
- The 21-year-old received two Olympic gold medals in Tokyo earlier this summer time
- He spoke about his grassroots journey and why swimming is a crucial talent
Olympic 200metres freestyle champion Tom Dean has paid tribute to his first membership Maidenhead Marlins after his gorgeous success in Tokyo.
The 21-year-old, who additionally received gold within the 4 x 200m relay with Duncan Scott, James Guy and Matthew Richards, spoke about his grassroots journey.
‘I started there when I was eight years old, they were the first swimming club I joined,’ he stated.Â
Tom Dean loved large success within the pool on the Olympics, successful two gold medals
‘Other than the national centre in Bath, it is the only swimming club I’ve ever swam for. I owe them principally my complete swimming profession as a result of they took me, and my coach Paul Lloyd took me, from studying to swim basically to being European champion and serving to me to hitch David McNulty at Bath as a fully-fledged athlete prepared for the senior worldwide stage.
‘Despite it being a really small club and not even a competitive club when we joined them, sticking with the programme and having faith in the programme and being able to do the hours that I needed to do twice a day every day was invaluable to my swimming career.’
Dean hopes his success — and that of GB’s swimming staff — will encourage funding within the sport.
‘It is so, so important,’ he stated. ‘We are so fortunate that we had a pool five minutes down the road from us that we were able to go to. It was so convenient. Even if you are not joining a swimming club, going along at the weekend, learning to swim, through school swim lessons, all these things are so important. It is the only sport that can save your life.
‘It is a skill that everyone should learn. The fact that pools are closing is an absolute tragedy. So many kids will be missing out as a result of that. I can’t stress sufficient how vital it’s that grassroots swimming and be taught to swim programmes proceed to be funded throughout the nation.’
Dean insisted swimming could save your life and hopes he can encourage individuals to take it up
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