GB in the Rio pool – a day by day guide

Eight days of competition will unfold in the Olympic Games pool, between the 6th and 13th of August. Below is a day by day guide for the British representation in Rio, where heats sessions will take place at 5pm UK time and finals at 2am early the following morning. You can explore the guide using the drop down menu below.

Day 1 – 6th August

Day 1: 6th August

  • Men’s 400m Individual Medley – Heats and Final – Max Litchfield
  • Women’s 100m Butterfly – Heats and Semi Finals
  • Men’s 400m Freestyle – Heats and Final – James Guy, Stephen Milne
  • Women’s 400m Individual Medley – Heats and Final – Hannah Miley, Aimee Wilmott
  • Men’s 100m Breaststroke – Heats and Semi Final – Adam Peaty, Ross Murdoch
  • Women’s 4 x 100m Freestyle Relay – Heats and Final

Detailed Schedule: HeatsFinals

Aimee Willmott goes in the 400IM on day 1. Pic: Simone Castrovillari
Aimee Willmott goes in the 400IM on day 1. Pic: Simone Castrovillari
It’s always important for Great Britain to get off to a good start, to get the momentum going in the right direction, and there’s every chance that it could happen on the first day of competition in Rio. Max Litchfield will be the first GB swimmer in the water aiming to make an Olympic final on his Olympic debut, but most eyes will be on James Guy who will want to secure a medal in his first of 5 events during the week. He goes in the 400 freestyle, in which he won silver at last year’s world championships, along with teammate Stephen Milne who will want to be back for an evening swim, but will need to be on his mettle to do so. The 400m medley ladies will also have a final on day 1 with Hannah Miley and Aimee Willmott opening their campaigns. Both should be back for the final, but the battle for the podium looks tough. Finally Adam Peaty starts his journey in the 100m breaststroke along with Ross Murdoch as they look to book their meal tickets for the final.

Day 2 – 7th August

Day 2: 7th August

  • Women’s 100m Butterfly – Final
  • Men’s 200m Freestyle – Heats and Semi Finals – James Guy, Cameron Kurle
  • Women’s 100m Breaststroke – Heats and Semi Finals – Chloe Tutton, Molly Renshaw
  • Men’s 100m Breaststroke – Final
  • Women’s 400m Freestyle – Heats and Final – Jazz Carlin
  • Men’s 100m Backstroke – Heats and Semi Finals – Chris Walker-Hebborn
  • Women’s 100m Backstroke – Heats and Semi Finals – Georgia Davies
  • Men’s 4 x 100m Freestyle Relay – Heats and Final

Detailed Schedule: HeatsFinals

Is today the day for Adam Peaty? Pic: Simone Castrovillari
Is today the day for Adam Peaty? Pic: Simone Castrovillari
All being well Adam Peaty and Ross Murdoch will contest the 100m breaststroke final on the evening of day 2, and Britain could leave the second day with gold. James Guy will be back in action in the 200m freestyle, aiming to add Olympic glory to his world title, joined by his club mate Cameron Kurle who will want to book himself a relay swim if nothing else. Meanwhile Jazz Carlin takes her Olympic bow in the 400m freestyle. Fourth at the last two world championships, Carlin will want to take step forward onto the podium, but the head of the field it looks stacked, with Katy Ledecky in the far distance and Leah Smith not all that far behind her. A real dogfight for bronze looks set to ensue. Chloe Tutton and Molly Renshaw start their Olympics in the 100m breaststroke, but will have eyes more on the 200m later in the week. Elsewhere Chris Walker-Hebborn and Georgia Davies start the 100m backstroke. Both will want to make the finals, but will need to be on tip top form to do so.

Day 3 – 8th August

Day 3: 8th August

  • Women’s 200m Freestyle – Heats and Semi Finals – Eleanor Faulkner, Georgia Coates
  • Men’s 200m Freestyle – Final
  • Women’s 100m Backstroke – Final
  • Men’s 100m Backstroke – Final
  • Women’s 100m Breaststroke – Final
  • Men’s 200m Butterfly – Heats and Semi Finals
  • Women’s 200m Individual Medley – Heats and Semi Finals – Siobhan-Marie O’Connor, Hannah Miley

Detailed Schedule: HeatsFinals

Siobhan-Marie O'Connor takes on the mighty Katinka Hosszu in the 200IM. Pic: Simone Castrovillari.
Siobhan-Marie O’Connor takes on the mighty Katinka Hosszu in the 200IM. Pic: Simone Castrovillari.
Can James Guy add the Olympic crown to his 200m world title? Potentially on his 5th swim of the week, that’s the question the Millfieldian will look to answer on the third night of finals, while Tutton, Renshaw, Walker-Hebborn and Davies will all hope to be back for more pool action in their respective finals. Eleanor Faulkner and Georgia Coates will go in the 200m freestyle, giving a clue as to their form for the relay later in the week, while Siobhan-Marie O’Connor starts her 200IM campaign. She is entirely focused on this one individual event, but the shadow of Katinka Hosszu looms large. The aim will be to progress through the rounds with the minimum of fuss, much as she did in Kazan, to save her energy for that battle in the final.

Day 4 – 9th August

Day 4: 9th August

  • Men’s 100m Freestyle – Heats and Semi Finals – Duncan Scott, Ben Proud
  • Women’s 200m Freestyle – Final
  • Men’s 200m Butterfly – Final
  • Women’s 200m Butterfly – Heats and Semi Finals – Aimee Willmott
  • Men’s 200m Breaststroke – Heats and Semi Finals – Andrew Willis, Craig Benson
  • Women’s 200m Individual Medley – Final
  • Men’s 4 x 200m Freestyle Relay – Heats and Final – GB Team

Detailed Schedule: HeatsFinals

Craig Benson takes his Olympic bow in the 200m breaststroke. Pic: Simone Castrovillari
Craig Benson takes his Olympic bow in the 200m breaststroke. Pic: Simone Castrovillari
O’Connor versus the Iron Lady is the first of the two big British battles on day 4 as Siobhan faces down the Hungarian superstar Hosszu in the 200IM. The second comes in the men’s 4×200 freestyle relay. That’s a team that has been built up with the addition of 7 men to the team to cover it. It’s likely that only 5 will be used; James Guy is likely to get the morning off, but otherwise it will be the fastest three from the heats who will go through to race the final. There can be no Beijing repeat this time round. It will be a much tougher job than in Kazan, but the podium is there to be taken. Duncan Scott and Ben Proud take to the pool in the 100m freestyle, with the potential prize of the anchor leg on the medley relay to fight for. Proud may see this as a warm up for his 50m later in the week, and while Scott undoubtedly will want to make his mark, he may still have one eye on that relay – don’t be surprised to see him drop out. Elsewhere Andrew Willis goes in search of yet another major final in the 200m breaststroke, joined by Craig Benson. Aimee Willmott gets a sexond outing in the 200 fly; a semi final place would be a good result in her less favoured event.

Day 5 – 10th August

Day 5: 10th August

  • Men’s 200m Breaststroke – Final
  • Women’s 100m Freestyle – Heats and Semi Finals
  • Men’s 200m Backstroke – Heats and Semi Finals
  • Women’s 200m Butterfly – Final
  • Men’s 100m Freestyle – Final
  • Women’s 200m Breaststroke – Heats and Semi Finals – Chloe Tutton, Molly Renshaw
  • Men’s 200m Individual Medley – Heats and Semi Finals – Dan Wallace, Ieuan Lloyd
  • Women’s 4 x 200m Freestyle Relay – Heats and Final – GB Team

Detailed Schedule: HeatsFinals

Molly Renshaw competing in the World Championships of 2015. Pic: Simone Castrovillari
Molly Renshaw competing in the World Championships of 2015. Pic: Simone Castrovillari
Can Andrew Willis turn 4th into a medal at last? He will hope to go for that elusive global prize in the 200m breaststroke, and could be joined by Craig Benson in that final. Meanwhile in the women’s equivalent event, Chloe Tutton and Molly Renshaw tackle their preferred distance. Tutton is riding high in the world rankings, and a repeat of her trials performance will make it to the final, but Renshaw will need to be on her lifetime best to join her. It will come down to how they both handle the Olympic environment. Relay squad members, Ieuan Lloyd and Dan Wallace will go in the 200IM – it could yet be their first swim of the week – with the semi-finals a realistic proposition for both, while the Women’s 4x200m freestyle team will aim for their final. The coaches may opt to go all guns blazing and swim O’Connor and Carlin in the heats to make sure they do.

Day 6 – 11th August

Day 6: 11th August

  • Men’s 50m Freestyle – Heats and Semi Finals – Ben Proud
  • Women’s 200m Breaststroke – Final
  • Men’s 200m Backstroke – Final
  • Women’s 800m Freestyle – Heats – Jaz Carlin, Camilla Hattersley
  • Women’s 200m Backstroke – Heats and Semi Finals
  • Men’s 200m Individual Medley – Final
  • Women’s 100m Freestyle – Final
  • Men’s 100m Butterfly – Heats and Semi Finals – James Guy

Detailed Schedule: HeatsFinals

Ben Proud will aim to walk tall among the big beasts of the 50m freestyle. Pic: Simone Castrovillari
Ben Proud will aim to walk tall among the big beasts of the 50m freestyle. Pic: Simone Castrovillari
Jaz Carlin gets her distance suit on for today’s 800m freestyle heats, looking to make the final and repeat her medal winning performance at the world championships in 2015. It will likely be a tough set of heats and a swim under 8:20 is likely to be necessary to make sure of a finals spot. That speed might count out teammate Camilla Hattersley who gets an individual swim in the 800 as a reward for her relay selection. Ben Proud starts his 50m freestyle journey – he needs to navigate the heats and semis of the splash and dash to secure his finals spot, while James Guy is back again, this time taking on his novelty event, the 100m fly. He says he can make the final – we’ll find out today. All being well there will also be GB representation in the women’s 200m breaststroke final, and a chance of that in the men’s 200IM, where Dan Wallace will be looking to recapture the form that took him to 4th at last year’s world championships.

Day 7 – 12th August

Day 7: 12th August

  • Women’s 200m Backstroke – Final
  • Men’s 100m Butterfly – Final
  • Women’s 800m Freestyle – Final
  • Men’s 50m Freestyle – Final
  • Women’s 50m Freestyle – Heats and Semi Finals – Francesca Halsall
  • Men’s 1500m Freestyle – Heats – Tim Shuttleworth, Stephen Milne
  • Women’s 4 x 100m Medley Relay – Heats – GB Team
  • Men’s 4 x 100m Medley Relay – Heats – GB Team

Detailed Schedule: HeatsFinals

Stephen Milne will go in search of a finals spot in the 1500m freestyle. Pic Simone Castrovillari
Stephen Milne will go in search of a finals spot in the 1500m freestyle. Pic Simone Castrovillari
The final day of heats sees Francesca Halsall in the Olympic pool for the first time as she takes on the 50m freestyle, attempting to book her finals spot. Also going in the morning will be Tim Shuttleworth and Stephen Milne in the 1500m freestyle. Both know they will need personal bests to make the final, so will make sure they leave nothing in the pool at this stage. Both medley relay teams will also seek finals spots – with the long gap between heats and finals, there’s little point in leaving anything to chance, so expect strong line ups in both. Potential concessions might be Ross Murdoch in for Adam Peaty in the men and a morning off relay duty for Halsall in the ladies. The finals could see James Guy back again in the 100m butterfly and should see Jaz Carlin in the 800m freestyle and Ben Proud in the 50m freestyle.

Day 8 – 13th August

Day 8: 13th August

  • Women’s 50m Freestyle – Final
  • Men’s 1500m Freestyle – Final
  • Women’s 4 x 100m Medley Relay – Final
  • Men’s 4 x 100m Medley Relay – Final

Detailed Schedule: Finals

Francesca Halsall will be hoping to add an Olympic medal to her collection on the final day of competition. Pic: Arena
Francesca Halsall will be hoping to add an Olympic medal to her collection on the final day of competition. Pic: Arena
“Last one fast one” for the final night in Rio and all being well GB should have representation in all four medal races. Francesca Halsall will go for the podium in the 50m freestyle, while the two 1500m boys Shuttleworth and Milne will be disappointed if they are not swimming the longest distance in the pool. The event rounds out with the medley relays; both won European gold earlier this year and while the competition steps up a level this time, the men in particular have a podium shot.

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