TOM DEAN is already in the shape of his life — as he plots a week that will live in British Olympic history for ever.
Tokyo swimming double gold medal winner Dean is the leader of the pack in SunSport’s SEINE-sational Seven for the Paris Games next year.
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And exactly 12 months out from the Olympic flame being ignited in the City of Lights, the Berkshire battler, 23, is gearing up for something truly special in France.
Dean’s gleaming condition was obvious as he told SunSport: “You’re spot on, I have bulked up.
“I was 88kg at the Olympics but since then I’ve tried to add a little more strength through the gym work.
“I’m sitting a few kilos heavier than that but that is all part of the plan. I get quite lean as I get towards a major competition.
“That’s where my head is at from a nutrition standpoint. I’ve been fortunate enough to add a few extra kilos of muscle mass, which is all part of the plan.”
The reason for the change in body shape is Dean’s new focus.
Yes, he wants to retain his 200 metres freestyle title, for reasons that swiftly become clear.
But Dean does not envisage returning from the Paris Games with just one piece of precious metal around his neck.
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The Team GB star wants to be absolutely weighed down by a collection never previously won at one Games by a British athlete.
Dean explained: “We want to work on the 100m a bit more, to work on the speed and power.
“Everything we have done between Tokyo and Paris is about fine-tuning whatever is going to be perfect for next summer, be it nutrition or the number of events I’m racing.
“So I’m doing loads more than I normally would do.
“It is part of the plan. I raced five times out in Tokyo, in two events, 200m free and 4x200m relay.
“Now I’m looking at racing five, maybe even six events at the world champs and then the Olympic Games. That’s looking at 13 or 14 races.”
Dean’s possible programme will be defending his two titles — he was also part of GB’s victorious 4x200m relay team at Tokyo 2020.
There will also be the 200m individual medley, two more relays — 4x100m freestyle and 4x100m medley — and potentially the 100m freestyle or the mixed medley relay, which also brought GB a gold in Tokyo.
He admitted: “It will be brutal. I did it last year, 13 races at the world champs and the Commonwealth Games three weeks later.
“Then I raced at the Europeans, so I had 33 international races last summer, which was just too many.
“I was wiped out after that but it was all to see how far I could push my body for that week of racing.
“Because when it’s Paris, you can’t have a soft heat or a soft semi-final — if you try, you’ll get crucified and you won’t make the final.
“It’s all about ‘how fast can I swim? How quickly can I recover? And how well can I back that up with a race in the evening or a heat the following morning?’”
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The first target, though, is that chance to do something trailblazing — retaining the 200m crown he snatched from fellow Brit and close pal Duncan Scott in 2021.
Dean said: “It’s never been done before. And from the moment I won in Tokyo, it was ‘I’m going to retain this’.
“It was exciting when I learned that stat. The thing that always amazes me is that the only person in the world who is in a position to retain that 200m freestyle title is me.
“Which is always a bit crazy to try to wrap my head around.
“There are eight billion people on this planet — and I’m the only one who has the opportunity to do that.
“But what a fortunate position to be on. But then I have to add in the plans to swim five or six different races and start looking at ‘what’s the most a Team GB athlete has ever won?’ ”
LOTTERY LETS US DREAM – Tom Dean
TEAM GB’s “gold rush” is down to National Lottery money, claims Tom Dean.
Britain’s super swimmers won four gold medals, three silvers and one bronze in an exceptional campaign at the Tokyo 2021 Olympics.
It was their BEST EVER team performance as they finished behind powerhouses US and Australia in the medal table.
Dean, one of the world’s top athletes, has been on the lottery funding stream since the age of 16.
The 23-year-old said: “The actual funding is super important, the help in that department is brilliant.
“As a young athlete it takes the pressure off.
“In my case off my mum as well, in going to competitions and buying kit.
“The thing I found most helpful was that when I was 16 or 17, the National Lottery picked me up as a young athlete.
“To have a big organisation offering the support I needed on the journey to become an Olympic athlete was so important.
“You’re not in the Wild West, you have a helping hand from an incredible outfit.
“Look at the progression from Atlanta ’96 to Tokyo 2020, it’s just crazy.
“It’s a gold rush and the National Lottery is a massive part of that.”
Dean, unsurprisingly, looked up the answer to his own question.
He said: “The most medals ever won by a Team GB athlete at a single Games was four, across any sport, in one Olympic Games.
“And I’m looking at a schedule saying I will have at least five events.
“I spoke to my coach and he agreed ‘we could go for this record’.
“Generally the timetable follows a similar pattern. The 4x100m free kicks us off, then the 200m, then the 4x100m individual medley, then the 4x200m then the medley relay.
“That’s how it normally goes and it’s looking like it’s possible.
“What an incredible way to round off the Paris 2024 Olympics… the stars align, the relays go great and I execute my individuals how I want to.
“The training and recovery work we’ve done, backing up hard sessions with more of them, will all come together to culminate in this crazy week of racing in Paris — and the thought of at least five medals gets me excited.”
You can see why. And why Dean thinks it is possible.
In the shape of his life, in mind and body. It is going to be a fun year following him.
*National Lottery players raise more than £30million a week for good causes including vital funding into sport — from grassroots to elite. Find out how your numbers make amazing happen at www.lotterygoodcauses.org.uk #MakeAmazingHappen #ThanksToYou