Rio 2016: Siobhan-Marie O’Connor and men's 200m freestyle relay team grab silvers to swell Team GB's medal haul
Medals add to Britain's tally following Adam Peaty’s gold and Jazz Carlin’s silver already in Rio
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Your support makes all the difference.Siobhan-Marie O’Connor and the men's 4x200m relay team added silvers in quick succession to Team GB’s swimming medal haul on Tuesday night on another thrilling night in the pool at the Olympic Aquatics Stadium .
O'Connor grabbed second spot with a magical swim in the 200m individual medley and adds to Team GB's collection following Adam Peaty’s gold and Jazz Carlin’s silver from Sunday night. O’Connor, who had won bronze at the World Championships in Kazan last year, was always in second behind the Hungarian late developer Katinka Hosszu.
She came home in 2min 06.88sec and was clearly delighted with her swim. The 20-year-old from Bath has developed markedly as she’s matured since competing at London 2012 with 2014 her breakthrough year when she won six medals at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
O’Connor competed in London in the 100m breaststroke but subsequently admitted that the stage was too big and daunting for her as a 16-year-old. She, like many others in that GB team, admitted to being carried away in the furore of a home Games.
Bill Furniss, the British head coach, has bought a hardened edge to the swimming team and it has paid off for O’Connor who has to deal with the chronic bowel condition ulcerative colitis. O’Connor, whose boyfriend Christopher Walker-Hebborn went out in the semi-final of the 100m backstroke on Sunday, was a picture of joy at the end. At the medal ceremony she couldn't keep the smile off her face.
The men's relay came home second in a thriller of a race that was won by USA giving Micheal Phelps yet another gold - his 21st. James Guy, who had disappointed in his individual swims, brought GB home for silver. At one point GB were fourth but a great swim from Dan Wallace set Guy up to seal the silver.
GB may not be done yet either.
Britain’s Andrew Willis qualified for Wednesday night’s final of the 200m breaststroke with an outstanding swim, setting a personal best of 2:07.73 and raising genuine hopes of another GB medal. "I'm dead chuffed with that,” the 25-year-old from Surrey said.
“I felt good. I tried to pick it up on the back end. A PB and I'm chuffed with that. It's all to play for now. I've been in this position so many times. I'm not going to take anything for granted. I'll try and stick to what I did tonight and hopefully the rest will mess around a bit and l sneak through."
Earlier in the night the amazing American Katie Ledecky enhanced her aura of superiority with victory in the 200m freestyle. She was pushed all the way by Sweden’s Sarah Sjostrom but won it in 1min 53.77sec to claim her third gold medal and second in Rio. There will be plenty more to come.
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