POOL TOGETHER
Tom Dean’s mum says ‘we swam every metre with him’ as 70 loved ones back home watch him win gold at Tokyo 2020 Olympics
TOM DEAN'S mum has claimed that his family and friends 'swam every metre with him' during his historic Olympic gold medal triumph.
The 21-year-old led a Team GB one-two to win a brilliant 200m men's freestyle at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre.
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Dean and Scotland's Duncan Scott pulled off Britain's first gold and silver haul in a swimming event in 113 years.
And a video soon emerged on social media of the star’s nearest and dearest gathered together in Maidenhead, Berks, to cheer him on at 3am this morning.
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Dean's mother Jacquie Hughes was among the many sent wild once her son confirmed his first and Team GB's fourth gold medal of the Games.
She told the BBC: "We had the family watch party with that rather embarrassing footage that seems to have gone everywhere which is kind of funny but I wasn't expecting it
"Every time I look at it I see someone else doing something funny but apart from that I'm delighted. It feels surreal at the moment, like a dream.
"Because we couldn't be there, yesterday we thought 'how nice would it be for Tom to know that some of his family and friends were watching him'.
"We had some members of the club, some neighbours and before we knew it there were 70 people in the garden.
It was so joyous and full of passion and chaos. Tom said he watched it over and over again and is blown away
Tom Dean's mum
"I think we swam every metre with him, but on land.
"It was so joyous and full of passion and chaos. Tom said he watched it over and over again and is blown away.
"We've had seven people sleep over in various dens and cubby holes and six of them are still here.
"I have five children - Tom is the second - and they're all swimmers. I was taking all five of them to early morning training. You never imagine where it will go.
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"Tom is such a positive person and he was always determined that everything he did, he would do well. It was only when he was 12 or 13 a couple people started to say he was a real talent and could go all the way.
"When he moved from Maidenhead to the Bath programme and he took a year out of uni to concentrate on being an athlete - he was so hungry for it.
"That's when I began to believe when it was possible."
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