Ben Proud completed a hat-trick of successive World Championship medals in the men’s 50m freestyle with a breathless bronze on the penultimate day of action at the World Aquatics Championships in Doha.
On the back of claiming the world title in 2022 and then bronze in Fukuoka last summer, the former Plymouth College pupil was part of another thrilling sprint finale, a superb start and breakout seeing him lead after 25m.
It was a battle across the middle lanes, the Brit in lane three powering all the way into the wall alongside Cameron McEvoy of Australia in lane four and Ukraine’s Vladyslav Bukhov in five, with Bukhov ultimately taking gold and McEvoy the silver.
Considering he also won European and Commonwealth gold in the 50m freestyle across an unprecedented year of success in 2022, Proud has now stepped on to the 50m freestyle podium at the last five major long-course internationals – testament to his unerring ability to deliver on the biggest stages.
“I’ve been in multiple World Championship finals now, and I said a couple of years ago that if I’m not going to be the best in the world, I just want to be consistent, constantly top five – and in doing that, it delivers more medals now and then,” said the two-time Olympic finalist.
“I really take it as a privilege to be here and it’s part of my career, hopefully soon-to-be legacy of being a British sprinter. All eyes are on Paris, so this is like a nice token to take back to the team and the family, and another point along the journey.
“I’m enjoying the sport a lot more than I used to. I look forward to coming out into the finals and racing at the Championships, whereas maybe when I was a bit younger, I was a bit more afraid and intimidated. Now I’m just loving the process, and every chance I get to stand in a world final and have a chance to perform is another moment along this journey.”
Proud’s season thus far has also included his first-ever European short course title in the 50m freestyle back in December – and with two medals from two major internationals in the bank already on the run-in to the Olympics, the 29-year-old feels he is gaining plenty of valuable learnings as he prepares for a crucial few weeks and months ahead as he looks to add the only medal missing from his collection in Paris this summer.
“Looking at this season, short course and long course, I did prioritise the European Short Course Champs to get that title there, and then of course the Olympic trials coming up at the British Swimming Championships,” he added.
“This World Championships fell in the middle of a big block of work. That’s not to say I didn’t focus on it, but I’m not as prepared as I could be, so it really was about coming in and being in another Championship final, learning how to race the race and learning more about myself, my body and my mind to start to piece things together. I feel like I’ll have a lot of stuff to look at from this week, good and bad, to take with me as I go along to Paris.”