#204: The Comeback: Tom Cohoon on Chasing Olympian Brother

After an eight-year break from competitive swimming, Tom Cohoon has made a remarkable return to sprint swimming.

Inspired by watching his younger brother Alex compete at the Paris 2024 Olympics, Tom took on board lessons from the world’s best sprinters - and he has since broken a British Masters record in the 50m freestyle and found himself lining up alongside Olympic swimmer Alex at National Championship finals.

And the most intriguing part? Tom is doing it while working full-time - chasing down his full-time-swimmer brother, with the gap getting smaller.

Tom talks about maximising his sprint speed after years away from swimming, overcoming the lack of mobility that came from playing rugby, and trying to train and race at the highest level without the facilities many elite swimmers take for granted - including limited access to starting blocks and sharing busy public lanes.

It’s a story about talent, curiosity, family rivalry and discovering just how fast you can go when you decide to give swimming another shot.

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