They don’t have a logo, a flag or a national anthem. But a new force has established itself at the Tokyo Olympics, propelling Great Britain up the medal table: Team Tom.
After another rush of successes yesterday the British team is placed sixth in the medals table, and a significant proportion of its haul has been contributed by athletes united by their first name.
If British athletes named Tom were an Olympic nation in their own right their five gold medals would place them eleventh in the table, above Italy. It is a good time to be a Tom in Tokyo.
Tom McEwen, 30, the equestrian rider who is based on the Princess Royal’s Gatcombe Estate in Gloucestershire, yesterday became the fourth Tom to win a gold medal for Britain at the Games. He was in the team of three riders who won Britain’s first eventing gold for 49 years, before later securing a silver medal in the individual event.
The first gold for Team Tom had been claimed last week by Tom Pidcock, 22, from Leeds, who won the men’s mountain bike race. He was followed by the long-awaited gold for Tom Daley, who won the synchronised 10-metre platform diving with Matty Lee, and two more in the swimming pool for Tom Dean. In addition Tom Barras won silver in the quadruple sculls rowing and two Toms (or Thomases), Ford and George, were part of the men’s eight rowing team that claimed bronze. In total Team Tom, or “Tom GB”, have nine medals.
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The Tom ascendancy marks a change from the days when Olympic success often seemed to go to Americans called Michael. Michael Phelps, the most decorated Olympian, won a total of 28 medals in the pool, and the sprinter Michael Johnson won four Olympic gold medals.
Thomas was the second most popular name given to baby boys in the UK during the 50 years up to 2019, according to a survey.
