Medal Alert: Luke Greenbank wins backstroke bronze

Luke Greenbank became the first British athlete to win a men’s 200m backstroke Olympic medal as his bronze took Team GB’s tally to 20 at Tokyo 2020.

Greenbank stopped the clock in 1:54.72 to take the third and final spot on the podium, just 1.45 seconds behind Russian Olympic Federation’s Evgeny Rylov, who won in an Olympic record.

That took Team GB’s haul in the swimming pool

to five medals, adding to the golds of Adam Peaty, Tom Dean and the 4x200m freestyle team, as well as Duncan Scott’s 200m freestyle silver.

Just before Greenbank’s medal ceremony took place, he watched on as a sixth was added with Scott winning silver in the men’s 200m Individual Medley.

Greenbank, 23, from Cockermouth, said: “It’s amazing, a dream come true. I’m so happy, over the moon and I’m lost for words.

“My first memory of swimming was watching the Beijing 2008 Olympics and it’s always been a long ambition of mine. To come away with an individual medal, it’s absolutely amazing.

“We [he and Mel Marshall, coach] get on really well together, we bounce off each other and she’s helped get the best out of me. Hats off to her.

“We’ve made some great progress this year but there’s definitely more in there. I can’t wait to get back in the pool.”

Tokyo 2020 marked Greenbank's first Games as a Team GB Olympian and he is already embracing the chance to take this experience forward in the pool.

He added: “It is a big occasion but I tried to not let the nerves get the better of me.

“I tend to swim my best when I have got a cool head and I know what I am doing and not overthinking stuff, so here it is all about positions rather than times.

“It is a very unique situation where we have finals in the morning and it is not really comparable but I am happy with the time, the race and take it into next season.”