Tom Dean Grabs 200 Free Gold To Close Out 2024 Flanders Swimming Cup

2024 FLANDERS SWIMMING CUP

The 2024 Flanders Swimming Cup wrapped up this evening from Antwerp, Belgium, with 2020 Olympic champion Tom Dean from Great Britain in the water.

23-year-old Dean took on the men’s 200m freestyle where he checked in with the fastest time of the field in 1:46.35. That effort secured the gold, with teammate Kieran Bird snagging silver in 1:49.70 while Canada’s Jeremy Bagshaw, representing Limerick, hit 1:49.84 as the only other sub-2:00 swimmer.

Dean opened in 51.25 and closed in 55.10 to finish the job in his fastest time this season. Entering this competition, the Bath star had been as quick as 1:47.50 from last month’s Rotterdam Qualification Meet. His result this evening pushes him up the world rankings to now be seated 11th on the season.

Jacob Peters of Great Britain grabbed the gold in the men’s 50m fly posting a winning time of 23.44. He led Dutch swimmer Thomas Verhoeven who logged 23.92 as the silver medalist while Irish ace Shane Ryan rounded out the podium in 24.16.

Additional winners included Poland’s Adela Piskorska scoring the top spot in the women’s 100m back in 1:00.72 while Ireland’s Grace Davison topped the women’s 50m free podium in 25.95.

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Scuncan Dott v2
9 months ago

Mentioned in his interview that he’s doing the 4×1 on day 1 in Doha and then going straight to a training camp in Australia.

Scuncan Dott v2
Reply to  Scuncan Dott v2
9 months ago

Assume Whittle will do the same since he’s also in Bath now.

Beatriz Cortez
Reply to  Scuncan Dott v2
9 months ago

Fingers crossed they don’t mess it up this time.

They should know they can have a second reaction time each leg and will still comfortably qualify for Paris.

Scuncan Dott v2
9 months ago

1:46.3 is a quick time for Dean in-season, was worried after Euro sc but he looks like he’s fine.

Steve Nolan
9 months ago

comment image

Beatriz Cortez
9 months ago

There’s been *no* swimmer ever, male or female, that successfully defended their Olympic 200 freestyle title.

Will Tom Dean be the first man to do so?

Will Ariarne Titmus be the first woman to do so?

Anything but 50 BR
Reply to  Beatriz Cortez
9 months ago

No for TItmus

Beatriz Cortez
Reply to  Anything but 50 BR
9 months ago

She still has the chance. I mean, she has the two fastest 200 free relay split of all time..by far. No one else even has low 1:53 split and Titmus has two 1:52 low-mid.

We always knew she has the goods to swim 1:52 in individual race. It’s just
a matter of putting it all together in one race and the battle with MOC will be legendary.

Last edited 9 months ago by Beatriz Cortez
cant kick cant pull
Reply to  Beatriz Cortez
9 months ago

her IV after 2023 worlds was pretty hard to watch – she seemed fine about the silver but was disappointed and wanted the 152 bad. whether she wins or not in paris she wants to go faster

cant kick cant pull
Reply to  cant kick cant pull
9 months ago

hard to watch as in it was pretty raw

Beatriz Cortez
Reply to  cant kick cant pull
9 months ago

I think she knew she could have swum what MOC did. She probably went out too fast.

Joshua Liendo-Edwards-Smith
Reply to  Beatriz Cortez
9 months ago

I’m going to say no for both tbh

Beatriz Cortez
Reply to  Joshua Liendo-Edwards-Smith
9 months ago

Yeah there’s a reason no swimmer has ever won Olympics 200 free twice. It’s freaking hard to do because 200 free is where sprinters and mid-d swimmers, and sometimes distance swimmers, congregate. You’d get the sprinter greats and mid-d/d greats compete in the same race.

Fraser Thorpe
Reply to  Beatriz Cortez
9 months ago

Yeah it’s the middle ground for the most events – freestylers coming up from the 100 and down from the 400 & 800, but also both flys, and backstrokes, and also the IM. Not to mention the 200 free specialists.

Alison England
Reply to  Beatriz Cortez
9 months ago

He has to qualify to swim it first!

2Fat4Speed
Reply to  Beatriz Cortez
9 months ago

Was not aware of this stat! I think Titmus has a great chance but the field will be loaded. The Men is up in the air. So many 1:44s bunched up.

Andrew
9 months ago

deannooooooooooooo

About Retta Race

Former Masters swimmer and coach Loretta (Retta) thrives on a non-stop but productive schedule. Nowadays, that includes having earned her MBA while working full-time in IT while owning French 75 Boutique while also providing swimming insight for BBC.

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