The mum of a Bicester swimmer has spoken out on her son's success in helping Team GB win a gold medal at this year's Paris Games.
Bicester's Kieran Bird competed in the heat yesterday morning, in which the team won, taking them through to the final last night (July 30).
James Guy, Tom Dean, Matt Richards and Duncan Scott won gold in the men’s 4x200m freestyle relay final, Team GB's first Olympic gold in the pool.
Kieran's mum, Mandy Bird, said she watched the final in Team GB House where the atmosphere was "incredible".
She told the Oxford Mail: "It was amazing for us.
"I was very emotional, I was crying."
Speaking on her son's reaction to the team winning in the final last night, Ms Bird said: "He was absolutely chuffed to bits - his dream come true."
Ms Bird described what it has been like seeing her son compete in the Paris Games: "It's been nerve-wracking and exciting.
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"The atmosphere in the pool has been fantastic, to be part of that with all the different nations, it has been lovely.
"I think what he did yesterday morning, to help them get to that gold in the final, was an incredible experience for him and I'm just super proud that he was part of it.
"It's a memory I will never forget."
Speaking to the Oxford Mail yesterday, Kieran Bird said competing in the Games this year as "a great honour".
Bird, who had earlier missed out on a spot in the men’s 400m freestyle final at this year’s Games, has trained at the Team Bath Sports Training Village since 2018.
Stephen Baddeley, director of sport at the University of Bath, told the Team Bath website: “Congratulations to Tom, Kieran, their teammates and coaches on a magnificent achievement.
“To go into an Olympic Games as defending champions and pre-event favourites provides a huge amount of pressure but they have taken that in their stride and once again delivered when it matters most.
“Tom wears the mantle of Olympic champion well.
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"He is friendly, dedicated, supportive of the university in and out of the pool, and a true inspiration to everyone at the Team Bath Sports Training Village.
"Congratulations to him on becoming a triple Olympic gold medallist.
“We are also absolutely delighted for Kieran, who swam superbly in the heats."
The Cooper School in Bicester, which Bird attended, also congratulated him in a post on Facebook.
It said: "Huge congratulations to one of our ex-students Kieran Bird who was awarded an Olympic gold medal having played an important role in helping Team GB retain their men’s 4x200m freestyle title in Paris last night.
"Well done Kieran, everybody at The Cooper School is incredibly proud of your achievements."
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