When Tom Dean thinks back to the greatest week of his life the glory moments spring immediately to mind.
Becoming the first British male since 1908 to win two swimming gold medals at the Olympic Games was remarkable enough.
Doing it six months after being hit so hard by Covid that he couldn’t climb a flight of stairs without coughing and wheezing took the achievement to another level.
He recalls the satisfaction he felt at winning the 200m metres freestyle and setting the tone for Britain’s biggest medal haul for 113 years.
He remembers warmly adding gold in the 4 x 200m freestyle relay a day later and sharing the joy with team mates Duncan Scott, Jimmy Guy and Matt Richards.
Above all, however, what stays with him from his Tokyo experience is the sound of silence.
Which is why the 22-year old is counting down the days to the Commonwealth Games, which get underway in Birmingham three weeks today.
“I can’t wait to swim in front of a packed home crowd, I really can’t,” he said.
“Going to Tokyo for the biggest competition in the swimming world and trying to deliver performances in an empty stadium was a real test.
“Not having family and friends out in Japan, especially when I was on that podium, was so tough.
“It’s something that’s really stuck with me. I normally try and find my mum in the crowd, either after I’ve raced or when I’m standing on the podium. Not having her there was hard.
“You had to draw on other motivations to get yourself fired up. We are so proud of what we achieved as a team but it was a real test.”
Dean was reminded of what he was missing by video footage of his family and pals congregating in huge numbers for ‘watch’ parties in the dead of night in the back garden of his home.
“Seeing that video for the first time, which had done the rounds on social media and gone quite viral, was a really special moment for me,” he said.
“It’s something I still watch back today with really fond memories of how exciting and emotional it made me feel.
“So to have them all out in full force in the crowd in Birmingham, I’m sure going nuts, is going to be something else.”
This time Dean’s preparation has been smooth, certainly relative to a year ago.
Whilst team mate Adam Peaty is in a race against time for fitness after breaking a bone in his first, he has mercifully avoided a hat-trick of Covid bouts.
“Covid was something I really struggled to overcome," he said. "So having a smooth run like this has been a blessing.”
Dean is just back from Budapest where he won three bronze medals at the World Championships.
“It’s always challenging to kick on a year after an Olympics, mental having to refocus and find that source of motivation," he added.
“So three trips to the podium has given me a massive boost of confidence heading into Birmingham.”
Tom Dean has taken part in Old El Paso's #FajitaFriYayChallenge with Team GB helping fight hunger across the UK via donations to FareShare.
