GUY James

General
NEW DIRECTION
In August 2019 he changed coaches from long-time mentor Jol Finck to Dave McNulty while remaining at his National Centre Bath base in England. "I've had an amazing eight years with Jol and some fantastic swims. I just want to find a new energy for this year [speaking in 2019] and I feel a change is needed. I have a great relationship with Dave [McNulty]. He's a big believer in hard work and pushing his swimmers." (swimswam.com, 24 Aug 2019; teambath.com, 16 Apr 2021)

COACHING
In 2018 he set up the James Guy [JG] Academy to train a small group of top young British swimmers in the 12-16 age group. "We're looking for seven or eight kids from the UK. We all know that hard work beats talent. Hopefully if they are working hard, and I can see that the kids are grafters, in a few years they'll be the new stars of Team GB. I'll take the things I've learned as an athlete, and pass it on to them as the next generation of swimmers. It's about giving back to the kids and the community, and hopefully making them better athletes as well." In 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic he launched a website, James Guy Performance Coaching. "It's hand-written sessions by me, for any athlete of any age of any calibre, and bespoke to their specific event. The COVID plan is quite popular. I'm just trying to give back, rather than be on my backside all day, trying to keep my mind busy and to keep engaged with a lot of swimmers." (proswimwear.co.uk, 17 Aug 2018; jamesguyperformancecoaching.com, 21 Dec 2020; fina.org, 21 Dec 2020)

He became the first British male swimmer to win gold in an individual freestyle event at the world championships [long course] when he triumphed in the 200m freestyle at the 2015 edition in Kazan, Russian Federation. (SportsDeskOnline, 11 Aug 2018; theguardian.com, 05 Aug 2015)