The Weekly Freestyle

The Weekly Freestyle Podcast hits the “nervy 90s” with plenty to unpack, from behind-the-scenes chaos to big moments in the swimming world. There’s talk of listener involvement and a potential chance to join an upcoming relay, alongside recognition from the Royal Holloway Colors Ball where a Coach of the Year nomination, Freshman of the Year win, and a crest award capped off a strong night for the club.

A huge focus is on Cam McEvoy’s 20.88 world record in the 50m freestyle, breaking down the explosive start, race execution, and the ultra low-volume, race-pace training...

This week’s episode of The Weekly Freestyle dives into the creative mind of Lily Csonka, exploring how spontaneity shapes their content and why some of the best ideas come in the most unexpected moments. From filming on the fly to scrolling through TikTok for inspiration, Lily shares the reality of bringing ideas to life and the challenges of working in an environment where not everyone wants to be on camera. It is an honest look at creativity without structure, where not everything goes to plan but authenticity always wins.

The conversation also uncovers the balance between sh...

Edinburgh bonus review show

In this episode, Alex Sutton sits down with Sam Lawman to dive into his unique journey through the world of life saving sport. Sam shares how he transitioned from standard pool swimming into a discipline that blends speed, endurance, and real world rescue skills, arguing that while it demands more technical ability, it also offers greater longevity in the water.

The conversation explores Great Britain’s position on the global stage, highlighting the strong team culture shaped by the strategic format of World Championship competition. Sam also reflects on one of the defining moments of his career, th...

In this episode, Alex sits down with swimming content creator Lily Csonka, who joins the show while visiting her hometown of Győr, Hungary before returning to her new home just outside Barcelona. Lily shares the unexpected way she entered the swimming world through volunteering at the 2017 European Youth Olympic Festival in Győr. What began as a simple volunteer role quickly turned into a life-changing experience as she found herself surrounded by young athletes from across Europe and discovered a passion for the sport that would shape her career.

Lily reflects on her path from volunteering at...

This week on The Weekly Freestyle 🎙️ Alex Sutton is joined by swimmer, coach and on deck pundit Luke Withers to break down the BUCS Long Course Championships at Ponds Forge International Sports Centre 🏊‍♂️ BUCS, run by British Universities and Colleges Sport, continues to strike the perfect balance between high performance and university pride, delivering three days of fast racing, stacked finals and all out relays 🔥

We unpack the standout swims 🏆 Freya Colbert smashing a long standing 200 free record, Angharad Evans completing a dominant breaststroke triple, and Archie Goodburn lowering records while continuing to push his brain cancer research petition to...

The Weekly Freestyle is back with Olympic, World and Commonwealth medalist Freya Anderson, joining us for a candid update from her new training base in Stirling. She shares how she’s settling in after the move from Bath, adjusting to dark Scottish winter mornings, and getting stuck into competitive in house race sessions as part of the high performance environment. Freya reflects on a recent long course 100 free where her sprint speed is still building, but her technical work on dive starts, underwaters and turns is already paying off. In conversation with host Alex Sutton, we explore why skills st...

We've been working on something behind the scenes, and this is your first taste.

Here's a 10-minute snippet from our very first Patreon exclusive episode.

The full version goes deeper, with uncut conversations and content you won't hear anywhere else.

If you like what you hear, come join us on Patreon. Every penny goes straight back into the podcast, helping us get better kit, bigger guests, more episodes.

It's your listener support that helps grow the show.

For behind the scenes content and more, sign up for...

This week on Weekly Freestyle 🏊‍♂️, Alex Sutton is joined by Olympic champions Tom Dean and Freya Anderson, with top British coach Luke Withers dropping in for an episode packed with swimming insight, honest reflections, and plenty of laughs.

The conversation kicks off with a debate on the most iconic pools in the world 🌍, from Rome’s stunning Setti pool to memories of Budapest and tough training blocks away from home.

Luke then puts Tom and Freya under the microscope with a freestyle stroke breakdown 💥, comparing their styles and highlighting what makes each of them so effective in the...

This week, Alex Sutton is joined by Luke Guy for an episode that almost didn’t happen thanks to a small technical hiccup 😅. After regrouping, the boys dive straight into bonus territory, covering everything from Jim Guy’s unforgettable wedding and best man duties done properly 🍻 to shared accommodation dramas and freezing air con disputes ❄️.

The conversation then shifts poolside, with Luke opening up about his return to masters swimming, the realities of training load, and why swimming is truly an all or nothing sport 🏊‍♂️. There’s also a deep dive into what’s coming in 2026, including Commonwealth Games storylin...

Alex Sutton is joined by co host Luke Withers for a wide ranging catch up as the racing season kicks off. They open with life updates from the pool, including the shock of swimming in an uncomfortably warm 30.8°C pool, where masters swimmers voiced their complaints and Alex reluctantly admits to being one of them. Luke shares stories from a busy start to the season as both a swimmer and coach, while Alex reflects on returning to regular training and the small identity crisis that comes with moving between different pool environments.

The conversation then turns to o...

Alex Sutton is joined once again by Luke Guy, bringing an informed and honest perspective shaped by a lifetime in elite swimming and his work within the sport. Luke reflects on growing up alongside his brother James Guy, sharing how swimming was ingrained in family life from an early age and how a strong work ethic helped shape success at the highest level.

The conversation dives into the current state of British Swimming and the sport’s visibility more broadly. Luke offers clear views on what’s working, what needs to evolve, and why swimming continues to stru...

We’re back for 2026 with a Best Bits special!

Alex returns solo to the world-famous Wednesday 6 a.m. slot with a handpicked compilation of standout moments from 2025. Reflecting on the conversations, chaos, and characters that made the year unforgettable, this episode features:

Catch all the highlights, laughs, and unforgettable moments from last year!

...

🎄✨ The Weekly Freestyle – Christmas Special 2025 ✨🎄

Santa’s come early to The Weekly Freestyle 🎅🎙️ as Alex Sutton dons the Christmas hat and welcomes Luke Withers and a jet lagged Tom Dean back from Australia for a proper festive freestyle!

There are Christmas crackers (pulled correctly), questionable jokes, riddles that may or may not make sense, and gifts straight from around the world including a European Union sweatshirt and golf balls from Royal Sydney ⛳🎁. Drinks are poured, electrolytes are debated, and the festive vibes are flowing.

Tom breaks down a whirlwind travel schedule from Europe to Brisbane, chats racing m...

In this episode of The Weekly Freestyle, I’m joined once again by Charlie Harris - Digital Communications Officer at Scottish Swimming and host of The Aqua Pod let's dive straight into one of the biggest talking points in swimming right now.

Let’s get straight to it… are Team USA trying to sabotage Team GB ahead of the LA 2028 Olympics?

We break down the controversial changes to the Olympic swimming schedule, including the moving of the 200M IM closer to the 4by2oom freestyle Relay final:

This week we review the short course championships in Lublin, Poland. Luke Withers jumps on the show to discuss the week of racing.

GB took a smaller squad to this champs but does this make for the lack of silverware compared to 2 years ago in Romania?

We discuss the best swims of the week, new names rising through the ranks and even some DQs…

Should we be seeing our best swimmers at all of these major meets?

This week, host Alex is joined by Scottish swimming expert Charlie Harris, the voice behind the popular show The Aqua Pod. Together, they dive into all things swimming, life, and Scotland. Charlie shares his expert take on the ongoing European Short Course Championships offering predictions, highlighting key contenders, and breaking down where the biggest challenges lie.

To top it all off, the duo wraps up the episode with a fun round of “Higher or Lower,” featuring past championship host cities. It’s a lively, insightful, and highly entertaining episode you won’t want to miss!

This week we dive into early season from action from across Europe and America!

Who is looking good, who is looking not so good and we discuss who Team GB's biggest prospect could be this year.

Finally we have some swimming to talk about :)

This week on TWF Alex is joined by Luke Withers who was our undercover podcasting agent at this year's Aquatics GB awards.

Who were the winners and losers? What's the latest goss and why were so many people away? Was it the event of the year!

Host Alex Sutton is joined by none other than three-time Olympic gold medalist Tom Dean for a stacked episode you won’t want to miss.

There’s plenty to unpack starting with Tom’s recent outing at World Championships in Singapore, which didn’t exactly go to plan… but why? Tom gives us the inside story.

We dive into his remarkable seven-year journey at the Bath Performance Centre, reflecting on the incredible success he built alongside legendary coach Dave McNulty a partnership that has brought plenty of success to our shores.

Then it’s onto the n...

This week, Alex Sutton is joined by Luke Withers to dive into Aquatic GB’s Transfer Deadline Day with unrivalled insight from across British swimming. From the biggest moves to the behind-the-scenes buzz, we break down what it all means for the season ahead.

We also share a laugh over Tom’s entertaining signing photo at Stirling, one you won’t want to miss, before switching lanes to talk about masters swimming. Whether you’re already competing or just thinking about it, we discuss why masters events are some of the most fun meets around and why you shou...

This week on The Weekly Freestyle, Alex Sutton is joined by Luke Withers to dive into one of the biggest stories shaking up the swimming world: Ben Proud’s controversial move to the Enhanced Games.

We ask the tough questions:

Plus, we break down all the latest drama from Aquatics GB’s transfer deadline day, who’s on the move, who’s staying put, and what it all means for...

We're at the halfway point of the World Championships, and the pool has already seen shockwaves. Have Team USA lost their edge? World records are tumbling, but who’s making history? And with the pressure mounting, how are the Brits holding up? They need a medal soon.

This week, Alex is joined by swimming expert and coach Luke Withers to break down the biggest stories so far, assess the standout performances, and ask: who's going to rise, and who's falling behind?

Enjoy and watch the swimming!!!

This week on The Weekly Freestyle, Alex sits down with two of Britain’s top swimmers Freya Anderson and Katie Shanahan for an honest, inspiring, and fun conversation you won’t want to miss.

We dive into life behind the lanes as they chat about living and training together in Stirling, their recent trips abroad, and how they’re adjusting to a new training setup. With the World Championships in Singapore on the horizon, hear what’s driving them, what they’re aiming for, and how they’re getting there.

Freya and Katie also open up about the...

We welcome our first guests of the season 7 💥 🔥

European U23 high-flyers @jack.skerry and @matt.j.ward fresh from a standout week in Slovakia, the boys dive into what really went down at the championships from performance highs to that now iconic train based celebration 🚂 🕺🇸🇰

🚨 Meanwhile, your hosts are back rubbing shoulders in the Royal Box at Wimbledon, but what really goes on behind the scenes? And who was making the absolute most of the free-flowing strawberries and champagne? 🍾 🍓

Plus, we launch a brand-new game and yes we need your help. Intrigued? You’ll have to listen to find out...

This week on The Weekly Freestyle, Tom and Alex dive into a packed episode full of summer vibes, poolside drama, and mystery giveaways. 🏊‍♂️☀️

Tom breaks down a couple of tough swims from Sette Colli in Rome 🇮🇹—what went wrong, what he’s taking away, and what’s next. Then the boys react to the Bath U23 lads absolutely sending it with the train celebration of the season 🚂🔥 (you’ve got to see this one).

Plus:

This week on The Weekly Freestyle, things get a little wild (and slightly horse-related). We kick off with the bizarre tale of Simon Cowell nearly getting run over by a horse — yes, really — and wonder if that’s the universe telling him something.

Then we ask the big question: is Jan Olbrecht, the legendary swimming stats guru, actually a wizard in disguise? 🧙‍♂️ We break down the myth, the science, and the spreadsheets.

Tom takes us on a chaotic journey through Gatwick Airport, while I put his Italian to the test ahead of his weekend...

Series 7 of The Weekly Freestyle continues, the boys dive headfirst into Drowning Prevention Week, spotlighting lifesaving messages and water safety tips everyone should hear.

Meanwhile, Tom’s got his sights set on Singapore 🇸🇬, we break down his key session testing and how things are shaping up ahead of World Champs

And for the first time this series… it’s quiz time. The boys go head to head in a battle of brains, banter, and buzzer pressure.

🎧 Has the production value ever been higher? You tell us.

🔔 Hit play, subscribe, and be safe - this is one...

In this episode of the Weekly Freestyle Alex arrives to the pod wearing a chicken suit, Tom discusses his time with Spencer Matthews and they speak about smuggling sweets into the cinema when they were younger! Did they end up the correct side of the law?!

🎙️ New episode of the Weekly Freestyle is OUT NOW! 🏊‍♂️💥

This week:

😤 Tom Dean dishes on that shocking disqualification in Monaco (he's not holding back)

💍 Alex spills some big life news

🧔‍♂️ Tom has a very important facial hair update

Follow the link in the description and catch up with the chaos — you don’t want to miss this one.

#WeeklyFreestyle #SwimTalk #TomDean #PodcastDrop

In the final episode of series 6, we sit down and go through all of our favourite moments of the past series! We would like to thank you all for your support across the last series and we can't wait to welcome you back for series 7.

This week we discuss the week that has just been including a trip to the mechanic and a meet up with another British swimmer.

We have a listener from Norway, the police contact the show and we made a terrible mistake in our previous quiz.

We do our own Brit awards and name the best female, male and training squad throughout the last year.

This week we recount how Tom almost lost AirPods in his favourite coffee shop in Maidenhead and we find out what really happened when the boys visited York and catch up with Alex on his bday celebrations.

The ULTIMATE TWF BUCS Review 📝 🚨 📣

Massive swims from Rogers, Morgan, Evans and so many more!!! 🔥

Who is the BEST? L’boro, Stirling or Bath!? ⚡️ 🛀

We discuss THOSE COMMENTS in the live chat - is too far?! 😯

+ we meet prod Ryan 🐐

#theweeklyfreestyle #podcast #fyp #swimming #tomdean #bucs

We are back slighlty later than planned due to ilness but we still have action packed episode for you today where we discuss Tom's Valentines Day plans, the recent Speedo advert and why Tom didn't feature and how did Alex meet his girlfriend?

No Tom this week, but fear not we have Charlie a British Swimming expert on the pod to talk us through what to expect in 2025. We also get to the bottom of what really happened that day when Tom won his races at the Magnet.

Welcome back to The Weekly Freestyle, today we discuss our brand new swim school we launched back in October. A new format takes place in a local swimming competition, and Tom's least favourite thing about being a swimmer.

Welcome back to The Weekly Freestyle! It's part 2 of Paris Ponderings where Tom talks us through what Olympians get up to on the day of a race and what he leaked straight after his race. `We also play Podmates a new game were we test how much we know each other.

Welcome back to The Weekly Freestyle! In this week's episode, we talk about our Sunday golfing trip, Alex's peculiar choice of breakfast and most importantly all things Paris 2024

In this week's episode, we chat about our goals for the year, what Alex did on New Year's Eve, and what Tom got up to in the lead-up to Paris. As well as chatting about all things Luke Litter and the recently concluded World Darts Championship including a surprise proposal.

If you want to watch the podcast subscribe to our YouTube Channel - @theweeklyfreestyle and don't forget to follow us on Instagram @the_weekly_freestyle.