Rio 2016: Jazz Carlin overjoyed to extend Team GB's success in the pool

The Welshwoman's took silver in the 400m freestyle final with a personal best of 4:01.23

(Getty)

Britain’s Jazz Carlin was overjoyed to claim silver in the 400 metres freestyle final on Sunday night on a dramatic night for Team GB in the pool. The Welshwoman had a tough act to follow and a tough opponent to chase but still claimed second with a brilliant swim and a personal best time of 4:01.23.

The 25-year-old’s race was immediately after her GB team-mate Adam Peaty’s sensational world-record setting golden victory in the 100m breaststroke which she admitted she had watched and had inspired her to great things. Her race was won by the remarkable American Katie Ledecky, who led all the way and set a new world record of 3:56.46 - nearly five seconds quicker than Carlin.

“It’s an incredible feeling and it’s definitely not sunk in yet,” Carlin told reporters in the bowels of Rio’s Olympic Aquatics Stadium just minutes after her race. “I’m so grateful for everyone’s support back home and anyone who got up to watch in the ridiculous hours of the morning – I’m just over the moon.

“I wanted to come here and give it absolutely everything and have no regrets. Sometimes you swim and think I had a bit left, or I wish I had done that better, but I wanted to get myself into the race rather than always having to catch up and then absolutely go for it.

“I could see Katie was a bit in front and having a great swim so I just tried to hang on and am gobsmacked to come away with silver.”

Carlin missed out on selection for the swimming team for London 2012 and her silver medal was reward for four years of hard yards, early starts and long days. “Four years ago I was sat in the stand cheering Team GB on but now I’m actually part of the team and to come away with a silver medal is absolutely amazing,” she said. “Having Rio to aim for has made me work so hard. I’m the last in the pool, I never miss a metre, I’m a grinder in the pool so to come away with a medal – I’m just so happy.”

Carlin admitted Peaty’s feat just moments before she dived in had inspired her to join the GB pool party. “I was in the pool room watching Adam and I had goose bumps on the block,” Carlin, who had painted her fingernails Team GB red, white and blue, said. “To see someone who’s your friend and team-mate achieve a new world record and become Olympic Champion right before you swim definitely got me pumped up. It’s been a great night for Team GB in the pool. We’ve got a great team here and hopefully we can keep the momentum up and inspire the rest of the team for the rest of the week.”

Carlin had set a personal best of 4:02.83 earlier in the day in the semi-final – so she cut her PB by around two seconds in the day - and was in good spirits heading into the final, feeling “smooth and controlled” but was eager to back that up. “Sometimes people come out and say ‘oh I feel great’ and then go slower and I didn’t want to be one of those people. I knew I felt really good so it was just about putting it in and having a great race and the time is a bonus really. Silver is the most important thing.

“It’s tough lining up alongside Katie because you’re not sure what she’s going to do. I just wanted to race my own race and stay with the pack and push on in different parts of the race. It was about sticking to what I wanted to do.”

Ledecky, just 19, is on track for four golds here in Brazil and could break more world records as she goes. This year, she has recorded the world’s fastest times in the 200m, 400m, 800m and 1,500m freestyle. She has been four seconds faster than her nearest rival in the 400m, and almost 11 seconds ahead of her nearest rival in the 800m.

She is an incredible swimmer. Only 6ft she has no right to destroy opponents in the manner she does. But her work ethic allied to a neat stroke and fierce determination make her invincible. She could dominate women’s swimming for years to come.

Carlin believes she can be caught. That, though, is for another day.