The 7,000-calorie diet and killer training that wins gold

Great Britain's 200m freestyle Olympic champion Tom Dean takes Jack Rathborn through his extraordinary daily regime

- Jack Rathborn

An extraordinary training schedule for every Team GB swimmer has put them in a position to succeed at the Olympics. The work has been done over the last three years since Tokyo, now it's time to perform at the Aquatic Centre.

Each swimmer's mental edge could ultimately decide how the medals are shared out, as detailed to The Independent by world champion Matt Richards. But the relentless pursuit of gold will see every swimmer sacrifice thousands of hours across a cycle in an intensive training plan and the arduous task of sticking to a diet in order to meet expectations in training and recover properly.

Here, Tom Dean, the 200m freestyle Olympic champion, details the secrets behind Great Britain's medal factory as the men and women eye glory in the pool this summer:

The 7,000 calorie diet

"Nutrition is a big part of it," Dean, a Speedo athlete, tells The Independent. "For me the key is to eat enough, I'm eating 6,000 to 7,000 calories per day. I have two big breakfasts, one before morning training, one after, a big lunch. A snack before training and after training in the evening, a big dinner and something before bed."