Joe Litchfield

{{Infobox swimmer

| name = Joe Richard Litchfield {{cite web | url=https://www.worldaquatics.com/athletes/1088686/joe-richard-litchfield | title=Joe Richard LITCHFIELD | Results | World Aquatics Official }}

| image =

| nationality = British

| strokes = Freestyle, medley

| club =

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1998|7|8|df=yes}}

| birth_place = Pontefract, West Yorkshire, England

| height =

| weight =

| medaltemplates =

{{MedalCountry|{{GBR2}}}}

{{MedalBronze|2022 Budapest|Swimming at the 2022 World Aquatics Championships – Men's 4 × 200 metre freestyle relay}}

{{MedalGold|2020 Budapest|Swimming at the 2020 European Aquatics Championships – Mixed 4 × 200 metre freestyle relay}}

{{MedalCountry|{{ENG}}}}

}}

Joe Richard Litchfield (born 8 July 1998) is a British swimmer.{{cite web|url=https://www.pontefractandcastlefordexpress.co.uk/sport/other-sport/joe-litchfield-excited-to-make-olympics-history-with-brother-max-3224357 |title=Joe Litchfield excited to make Olympics history with brother Max |work=Pontefract and Castleford Express |access-date=21 May 2021}}{{cite web|url=https://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/sport/worldcup2010/news/19275196.double-trouble-litchfield-brothers-get-set-tokyo-2020-olympic-games/ |title=Double trouble as Litchfield brothers get set for Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games |work=Oxford Mail |date=3 May 2021 |access-date=21 May 2021}} He has won gold medals as part of a team at the European Championship, and a team bronze at the World Championship and competed at the 2020 Summer Olympics and 2024 Summer Olympics.

Career

Litchfield was born in Pontefract, West Yorkshire, the son of former professional footballer, Peter Litchfield and his older brother Max Litchfield is also a swimmer.{{cite web|url=https://www.teamgb.com/athlete/joe-litchfield/2L39MYhyQT6af8O2c2fTBs |title=Joe Litchfield |website=Team GB | access-date=9 April 2024}}

He competed in the men's 100 metre backstroke event at the 2020 European Aquatics Championships, in Budapest, Hungary.{{cite web|url=http://budapest2020.microplustiming.com/export/NU_Budapest2021/NU/pdf/SWMM100MBA------------HEAT--------_51A1%201.0.pdf |title=Men's 100 metre backstroke: Start list |work=Budapest 2000 |access-date=21 May 2021}} He won two gold medals as part of the team, swimming in the heats but not in finals, in Swimming at the 2020 European Aquatics Championships – Mixed 4 × 200 metre freestyle relay and Swimming at the 2020 European Aquatics Championships – Mixed 4 × 100 metre medley relay. He was also part of the team that won a silver in Men's 4 × 100 metre freestyle relay.

In the 2020 Summer Olympics that were held in Tokyo in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic,{{cite journal | pmc=8590505 | date=2021 | last1=Yashio | first1=T. | last2=Murayama | first2=A. | last3=Kami | first3=M. | last4=Ozaki | first4=A. | last5=Tanimoto | first5=T. | last6=Rodriguez-Morales | first6=A. J. | title=COVID-19 infection during the Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020 | journal=Travel Medicine and Infectious Disease | volume=44 | doi=10.1016/j.tmaid.2021.102205 | pmid=34785374 }} the swimmer made his Olympic debut. Litchfield was a part of the Men’s 4x100m Freestyle Relay team at the 2020 Summer Olympics, narrowly missing out on a placing in the final. Individually, he also competed in the 200m Individual Medley.{{cite web | url=https://www.swimming.org/sport/tokyo-2020-olympic-games-joe-litchfield/ | title=Joe Litchfield thanks parents and Doncaster Dartes for his success | date=15 July 2021 }}{{cite web | url=https://www.britishswimming.org/athlete-swimming-profiles/british-swimming-profiles/joe-litchfield/ | title=Joe Litchfield }}

At the 2022 World Aquatics Championships held in Budapest, Litchfield won a bronze as in the Men's 4 × 200 metre freestyle relay.{{cite web |url=https://www.britishswimming.org/news/latest-swimming-news/greenbank-and-relay-boys-deliver-worlds-medal-double/ |title=Greenbank and relay boys deliver Worlds medal double |date=23 June 2022 |work=British Swimming }}

After winning the 100 metres butterfly at the 2024 Aquatics GB Swimming Championships, Litchfield sealed his place at the 2024 Summer Olympics for the relay event.{{cite web|url=https://results.swimming.org/swimming/results/2024/AquaticsGBChamps/ |title=Speedo Aquatics GB Swimming Championships 2024 |website=Swimming.org | access-date=9 April 2024}} At the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, he participated in the men's 4 x 100 metre medley relay and mixed 4 × 100 metre medley relay.