Tom Dean was thrilled to be part of history as he helped Britain close out the World Swimming Championships with a bronze medal in the men’s 4x100m medley relay.
The double Olympic champion joined forces with Luke Greenbank and James Guy, both of whom won silver in this event in Tokyo, as well as James Wilby, on the final night of action in Budapest.
And despite the absences of star pair Adam Peaty and Duncan Scott, who helped Britain claim the world title in this race three years ago, it was an impressive performance from the British quartet.
In a race won by Italy ahead of the USA, Britain touched home in third to come away with a fifth medal of the meet, and a third bronze for Dean.
“It's my first time with these boys in the medley relay, I've never done a medley before so it's really special to be a part of it. You think back to 2019, they had such a special race when they won the World Champs and Duncan did that incredible freestyle leg - so to be part of a team with such history is amazing,” he said.
“When I saw everyone celebrating, I knew we were on the podium, so that was quite special.”
Guy added: “The main goal for this meet was just to try to see what we've got. This year has been quite a weird year, having a World Championships thrown in, but to get a bronze on the world stage at the start of a big year is very, very good.
“Compared to the likes of the USA, who are massive, we’re a very small nation - but our strength is there and we've showed we've got a bit of stamina towards the end of the race.”
Elsewhere Dan Jervis recorded his third-fastest time ever in the 1500m freestyle as he finished seventh in a race won by Italy’s Gregorio Paltrinieri, while Anna Hopkin was also seventh in the final of the women’s 50m freestyle.