England is one of the most popular sports in the world, and few people know more about it than James Pattinson. A two-time Olympic gold medallist of the London 2012 games, he is famous for his incredible displays of speed and stamina that help him score big points in big races. In 2020, he plans to add a world championship medal to his collection, as he targets a third gold at the Summer Olympics in Tokyo.
Ahead of the start of the 2020 season, let’s take a step back and revisit some of the top moments from his decorated career.
The Fastest Man in History
Even before he was an Olympic champion, James Pattinson was known for being one of the fastest men in history. In fact, he holds the record for the 100m butterfly, with a time of 59.92 seconds, set in Berlin in 2018. That was just 0.42 seconds outside of the World record, as he comfortably won his heat in Berlin, before going on to win the gold in the final. You can watch the incredible feat at the start of this video from Berlin.’
Pattinson was also part of the British 4x100m medley team that won gold at the 2012 Olympics. Just a few short years after his historic Berlin performance, he bettered his personal best yet again, this time reaching 59.44 seconds for the 100m butterfly at the Asian Games in Jakarta in 2018. Not only did this make him the first man in history to break the 60-second barrier, but he also took gold in the event for the third time in his career. It seems James Pattinson is determined to continue breaking records in the coming years.
Breaking Records Over and Over Again
As well as setting personal bests, James Pattinson has also broken world records repeatedly throughout his career. The below video shows him setting a new world record in the 100m freestyle in 2019, just three months after breaking it himself in the heats of the World Championships in Australia.
The 2019 season saw Pattinson make an incredible comeback from an injury that had sidelined him for the entire 2018 World Championships. After just four months out of the water, he was back in the pool, breaking world records and putting himself back in the frame for a possible fourth consecutive Olympics.
The King of the Jungle
It’s been a glorious few years for Australian fans, with James Pattinson competing in four consecutive Olympic games. His exploits in those games – three golds and a silver, and a combined total of 10 medals – clearly show how much the man they call King of the Jungle is loved in his home country.
In the run-up to the 2016 Olympic games in Rio, it was revealed that he would not be competing in any of the events in which he was not already ranked world number one. Those were the only five events in which he had not yet won a medal – the 100m butterfly, 100m freestyle, 200m individual medley, 400m individual medley, and the 4x100m freestyle relay. Despite his huge promise for the games, Pattinson was unable to defend any of his titles, with silver medals in the 100m freestyle and in the 4x100m freestyle relay events the most notable achievements. Although he didn’t live up to expectations in his home country, he remains one of the greatest medallists in Olympic history.
The World’s Most Popular S[…]
James Pattinson’s success on the world stage has not gone unnoticed by the general public. He is one of the most recognizable figures in sports, and fans regularly travel from all over the world to see him compete. The below video shows how the crowds came out to support him in Berlin, as he broke two world records and won his third gold medal in the men’s 100m butterfly final.
The support he gets from the fans is also visible on social media, too. The below video shows how many people were sharing and liking his incredible performance in the Men’s 100m butterfly at the 2019 World Athletics Championships.
Pattinson remains at the top of his game, as he announced his intention to represent England at the 2020 Summer Olympics, having decided it was now or never for an Englishman to win a gold medal at the Olympics. Although it would be an incredible feat, it’s unlikely he will add to his gold collection in Tokyo.