The desire to ‘try something a bit different’ convinced Tom Dean to swap speedos for salsa and sign up for Strictly Come Dancing.

The 24-year-old races in Friday night’s 200m individual medley final looking to add a fourth gold to his Olympic collection.

But a fresh challenge awaits him after he returns from Paris as he follows in fellow swimmer Adam Peaty’s footsteps and takes to the floor.

“It’s something to look forward to,” he said. “Once I’ve finished this, I’ll go back, relax for a bit with the family and then crack on.

“Wrapping up this Olympics, I’ll be taking a break anyway as you naturally want one after a full Olympic cycle.

“The opportunity arose and I thought it would be really exciting to try something a bit different. I’ll be doing that and then straight back into training afterwards.”

Peaty took part in series 19 of the Saturday teatime showpiece in 2021 and Dean will be seeking out his teammate for advice as he digs out the sequins.

“I’ve not seen him yet, he’s not raced for a while,” he said.

“He did brilliantly on it so I’ll try and get a few tips when I bump into him.

“I don’t normally do too well out of water but I know what a hard day’s training looks like and I’ll throw myself into it.”

Dean’s more immediate focus is on spoiling Leon Marchand’s Parisian procession, with the Frenchman lying in wait in Friday’s final.

Marchand became the first swimmer since 1976 to win two individual golds on the same night on Wednesday and will be roared on by a partisan crowd inside La Défense Arena as he bids to collect a fourth gold of his home Games.

Dean clocked 1:56.92 to qualify in fourth from the first semi-final, which saw Duncan Scott finish second, and he is looking forward to stepping into the lion’s den.

“The crowds are incredible and he’s obviously on good form,” added Dean, one of over 1,000 elite athletes on UK Sport’s National Lottery-funded World Class Programme.

“But we’ve all got our own races we need to execute. Everyone has their strengths and their weaknesses and we need to play on what we do well.

“It’ll probably be one of my last races at this Olympic Games as we have such strong relay teams and it will be my last individual.

“I really wanted to be part of that final, so it’s really exciting.”

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