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Englishman, Scotsman, Northern Irishman and Welshman race is no joke
Four Team GB swimming team-mates who won 4x200m freestyle relay gold together at last year's World Aquatics Championships in Singapore will now race against each other in the individual 200m freestyle at the Commonwealth Games. England's James Guy, Northern Ireland's Jack McMillan, Scotland's Duncan Scott and Wales' Matt Richards described the switch from teammates to rivals as a friendly but competitive dynamic, made possible because the Commonwealth Games is one of the rare occasions they compete for their home nations rather than as a unified Team GB.
Richards has already won three medals at these Games but is yet to claim gold, while he and McMillan are due to race in the same heat as fellow relay squad members Evan Jones (Scotland) and Tom Dean (England) on Wednesday. Scott, who has already won gold in Glasgow, and the others say the camaraderie fuels rather than undermines their rivalry, with Australia currently dominating the pool but all four Britons harbouring ambitions of reaching the podium.
In short
- GB relay gold medallists now rivals in Commonwealth 200m freestyle
- Guy, McMillan, Scott and Richards represent England, NI, Scotland, Wales
- Richards has three medals but no gold yet; heat set for Wednesday
Explained simply
The Commonwealth Games is a multi-sport event where athletes represent their home nations rather than competing as a unified Team GB. This structure means swimmers from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland can race individually against each other, even though they normally compete together.
Four elite swimmers – England's James Guy, Scotland's Duncan Scott, Wales' Matt Richards and Northern Ireland's Jack McMillan – won gold as teammates in the 4×200 metres freestyle relay at the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore last year. They are now competing against each other as individuals in the 200 metres freestyle at the Commonwealth Games.
The switch from teammates to rivals creates an unusual dynamic in elite swimming, where these athletes normally train and compete together as Team GB. The four say their friendship and camaraderie fuel their rivalry rather than undermining it.