Guy back to his best as he targets World glory

For the swimmer, that's the small matter of world domination, being the very best at what he does in the water.

At last summer's Rio Olympic Games he walked away with two relay silver medals to his name – but he wasn't completely satisfied.

And he's using July's World Swimming Championships in Budapest as his springboard back to the top of his game.

The 2015 edition of the Championships saw Guy take the 200m freestyle crown, but disappointment followed in Rio when he missed out on a podium spot in his individual events.

But after a deserved break, Guy is fighting fit and ready to show what the world has been missing out on.

"The World Championships are in Hungary in July, and hopefully I can defend my world title," said Guy, speaking at BUCS Nationals where he was competing as a guest.

"I know it will be tough, but I want it back. After the sadness I had in Rio, I want to be the best in the world again, so hopefully I can make that happen. I'm training hard and I'm loving my sport, I'm racing well and I'm in a great spot right now.

"After Rio, I raced all over the world as part of the World Cup, but I found that having a break was what I really needed to do.

"After the last World Cup, I thought ‘I'm done'. I hadn't had a break at that point, but when I did have one, it really helped me get back in the water and since then, I've been on it like Donkey Kong."

And while his Olympic debut was inevitably the realisation of a lifelong dream, despite not going as planned, Guy admits it proved to be a steep learning curve.

"Come the World Championships, as long as I'm around my personal best, I'll be happy with that because what more can you ask for," he said.

"It's the second biggest event in the world after the Olympics, so it's all about enjoying it.

"I didn't enjoy the first few days at the Olympics, I was nervous and all I was thinking about was medals and times, but you can't be like that.

"You go out there to swim your own race, and that's what I want to do."

For now though, it's a time of transition for Guy, with a switch from his base at Millfield School to the elite programme at the University of Bath.

But it's a change that excites the two-time European medallist, and one that he is certain signals a new era for him in the pool.

"At the start of January, I moved to Bath and that has helped me so much more. I want to swim fast again, I want to train well again, and I'm back to the old James Guy that I used to be," he said.

"My coach got offered the job at Bath, so for me, it was making that transition from a schoolboy – I'd always trained at Millfield – to being in an environment in which I'm swimming with professional athletes who are my age and that's what I am ready to do.

"They have the same goals as me, and it helps so much being in training with people like that all the time. It's a move that will definitely pay off in the years to come.

"I'm in a whole different environment where no-one knows who I am, and that's what I needed." Sportsbeat 2017