Photo: Attila Kisbenedek / AFP / Getty Images
British swimmer Tom Dean went from suffering a double coronavirus infection to starring in a double medal in Tokyo 2020.
Dean, from 21 years , gold was hung in the 405 freestyle meters , while his Scottish teammate Duncan Scott took the silver.
It is the first time since 1908 that two British male swimmers arrive together on the Olympic podium.
But Dean’s path to victory is not It was not easy.
Before arriving in Tokyo he was infected twice with covid- 19.
He was unable to “ go up the stairs s in coughing or gasping, ”recalls Dean.
Each time he had to stay isolated and suspend his workouts for three weeks.
Upon returning to the pools, her routines had to be modified to prevent long-term damage to her body.
“It’s incredible, having a gold medal around my neck is a dream come true,” Dean told Reuters after his victory.
“Sitting in my apartment, in isolation, a Olympic medal was millions of kilometers away. ”
Twice
In September, Dean tested positive for covid – 19 and after recovering, early This year’s ipios was infected again, this time more severely.
“The second time was much worse than the first,” said Dean before a group of journalists.
“It was a slow recovery due to the nature of the sport and the illness… You can’t just go straight back to full training.”
“With only two or three months to go to the Olympic trials I was stuck without even being able to exercise … it was difficult to understand that in an Olympic year,” as quoted by the Reuters news agency.
He was unable to train for weeks and, according to what he told the media, he suffered a real “physical and mental” setback.
“It was disturbing because no one takes six weeks of rest before the Olympics. It was a real shock to the system, ”said Dean.
Even so, he was able to complete the degree in just a few 47, 22 seconds. It is the first time he has competed in an Olympic Games.
His teammate Scott placed second with only 0, 04 seconds behind. On the other hand, Fernando Scheffer gave Brazil a bronze medal.
Not a favorite
Both Dean and Scott celebrated their triumphs by high-fives and sharing a hug.
Scott, from 24 years, he was the favorite for the race . The Scotsman had won a silver medal at the European Swimming Championships last May.
He said he was excited for Dean as soon as he realized that he had taken the gold medal.
Dean’s was the second men’s swimming gold for Great Britain in two days after Adam Peaty retained his title of 100 meters breaststroke on Monday.
His triumph is also the fourth gold medal for Great Britain after the successes of Peaty, Tim Pidcock and the duo of Tom Daly and Matty Lee on the so-called “Monday magical. ”
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