A korma chicken will be Bath Olympian James Guy’s homecoming reward for his successes in Tokyo, according to his father.
Guy, 25, had a sensational Games in Tokyo, winning gold in the men’s 4x200m freestyle and the 4x100m medley relay.
Guy and his family moved from Altrincham to Somerset when he got a scholarship to Millfield School in Street.
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His father already knows what his son will want to do first when he lands at Heathrow Airport on Monday evening (August 2).
He said, “The first thing he’ll do when we pick him up is say ‘Daddy, I need a curry.'”
“He only ever has one curry – chicken korma. And it’s not even really curry is it? That’s all he still has. Rice, and two chapatis, that’s all. He likes good food, he likes Chinese, he is going to gain a little weight but you know what? There is a right.
Andrew has been up all night watching his son in action over the past few days, watching the success of the medley relay at their home with the family.
He said, “It’s an amazing feeling. I’m upset, like the whole family, they all went back to bed.
“How often does your son happen to be a double Olympic champion and world record holder? “
Andrew noted that Guy’s road to Tokyo 2020 was far from smooth and that there were times he was considering leaving the sport.
Andrew said: “After a few years he was struggling and he was like ‘Daddy, I’m going to put it away. Everybody beats me “- and they were. It was purely because he hadn’t grown up, so he suffered a little bit of pain for two to three years where he cried to the max.
“We supported him as a family and then around 14 or 15 he started to grow and at 16 he was the fastest in the world for his age.
“At 19 he became world champion and ran with his heroes – Michael Phelps, Ryan Lochte, Conor Dwyer – these people he had pictures of on the wall, he ran and beat them. “
Andrew said two silver medals at the Rio 2016 Games taught Guy the importance of mental toughness and how athletes improve their level of play for the “special occasion” of the Olympics.
Guy was also reinvigorated by a change of coach in 2019 for Dave McNulty in Bath, where he attended college.
When asked to sum up his son, Andrew said: “He’s the boy next door, dead normal. If you sat down with him he would never tell you he was a swimmer, he would never tell you what he won.
“He’s pretty sensitive, not overly confident, but if you used him he would give 100% every day.”
Guy’s sensitive side became evident as he shed tears after gold in the 4x200m freestyle, and his father said: “That scream was the anticipation of winning the gold of his career.
“He’s a four-time world champion and he’s won Commonwealth and European medals, what he wanted was Olympic gold, more than anyone. James let out the emotion and saw how sensitive he was. He stands on the blocks and he becomes a warrior again.
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Source: www.somersetlive.co.uk
This notice was published: 2021-07-31 19:50:48
